Bridging the Gap
by karinarios
Summary: Four years after a messy breakup, Tsukimori Len and Hino Kahoko are living separate lives. By mutual consent, they've agreed to stay out of each other's business, and the deal carries on splendidly until Erika comes along.
1. Prologue: Competition Incoming

**Bridging the Gap**

by Beaple Leone Michaelmas

**Summary: **

Four years after a messy breakup, Tsukimori Len and Hino Kahoko are living separate lives. _He_'s an international superstar in the classical music scene; _she_'s the current darling of the Japanese media. By mutual consent, they've agreed to stay out of each other's business, and the deal carries on splendidly until a girl called Erika comes along. Childish and narrow-minded, but altogether impossible to like, she hatches a crazy plan that ends up turning Len and Kahoko's otherwise normal lives completely and irrevocably upside down. Warning: Insanity Inside.

**Prologue: Competition Incoming**

**A/N: **

Hajimemashite! Thank you for taking the time to read my first fanfic. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. It's been a while.

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own _La Corda d'Oro_; the whole concept belongs to Kure Yuki-sensei.

**Prologue: Competition Incoming**

Looking through the wall-high fiber glass windows of her penthouse suite, she gazed at the blinking city lights of Tokyo. Everywhere she looked, there was color: blurs of a myriad different tints and hues trying to outwinkle and outshine each other. They raced before her line of vision, putting her under a trance, until she realized that for a moment she had stopped breathing.

Sighing deeply, she pressed her forehead against the window, and wondered once again if she was truly doing the right thing.

"Ojousama," a voice spoke from behind her. Straightening up, she saw who it was and put a hand up to steady her frenzied heartbeat.

"Naoto-san, you scared me," she muttered sheepishly. "It's not good to sneak up on people, you know?"

"My apologies," Naoto-san said with a slight bow. "I have only come to inform you that Nadeshiko-sama has heard that you're in town. She wishes to see you as soon as possible."

"Oh, Obaasama can wait," she said, turning her attention back to the city lights. "I thought I'd made it clear that everything can wait until after tomorrow?"

"Yes, Ojousama, but –"

"No buts, Naoto-san," she interrupted, wagging a warning finger. "I'm here for a very special mission, right? I can't get sidetracked by anything right now…"

Naoto-san stared.

"As you wish," he said, retreating with another bow.

"Wait!" she cried out suddenly, gliding past furniture to get across the room. Standing in front of Naoto-san, she leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "Everything's ready for tomorrow, then?"

The corners of Naoto-san's mouth twitched.

"Yes, Ojousama," Naoto-san assured her. "I have spoken with the head of our guards, and we have gone through the plan together. There is no need to worry."

"Well!" she said, grinning widely. "Good night then, Naoto-san. I'll see you at ten tomorrow."

With yet another bow, Naoto-san left the room, the door clicking loudly in his wake.

Alone in her spacious, dark hotel room, she perched on the arm of a soft beige couch, hugged a plump pillow, and stared at the coffee table in front of her, bare except for a photo. It was that of a pretty woman in her early twenties, with shoulder-length, dark red tresses and rich brown eyes. The snapshot had caught her lounging in an open terrace café, a steaming cup in one hand, a small smile tugging at her lips.

_Hino Kahoko_. She stared at the woman in the picture, lost in thought. She didn't think it would be this easy to find her. After six months, tomorrow…

Her heart suddenly racing, she threw herself on the couch, sending pillows flying everywhere. She closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep despite knowing she probably wouldn't be able to. She was anxious and excited and scared and elated and-!

She clamped her eyes shut and willed herself to sleep.

**A/N: **Ahaha. That was nuts. It was a much darker scene in my head, but...


	2. Chapter 1: Finger Auditions

**Bridging the Gap**

by Beaple Leone Michaelmas

**Summary: **

Four years after a messy breakup, Tsukimori Len and Hino Kahoko are living separate lives. _He_'s an international superstar in the classical music scene; _she_'s the current darling of the Japanese media. By mutual consent, they've agreed to stay out of each other's business, and the deal carries on splendidly until a girl called Erika comes along. Childish and narrow-minded, but altogether impossible to like, she hatches a crazy plan that ends up turning Len and Kahoko's otherwise normal lives completely and irrevocably upside down. Warning: Insanity Inside.

**Chapter One: Finger Auditions**

**A/N: **

Honestly, the original version of this story – the first eight chapters of which have already been written – was much crazier than the one I'm planning to write. I didn't pursue _that _plot because it was getting too insane. Not that this one isn't crazy, too, of course.

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own _La Corda d'Oro_; the whole concept belongs to Kure Yuki-sensei. Also, please note references made to Ninomiya Tomoko-sensei's _Nodame Cantabile_; none of them belong to me.

**Chapter One: Finger Auditions**

"Dame desu," Hihara Kazuki said after seeing the expression on Hino Kahoko's face. "I'm very sorry, Eiji-san, but she's not the right pianist to play Karina."

Eiji-san, white-haired and wrinkled but with tattooed eyebrows and one fanged earring, massaged his temples and inhaled deeply.

"Hino-san, kindly enlighten me," he said, cracking a strained smile at the redhead sitting before him. "Just what was wrong with the pianists we auditioned? All of them are top students from Japan's best music schools; one was the champion of the last Maradonna competition! [1] What on Earth are we looking for?" he hollered, flinging the documents in his hand to the floor of the studio.

"Hakuba!" he barked suddenly, causing his pimply young assistant to jump. "How many girls have we auditioned so far??"

"T-t-twenty three, Eiji-sama."

"And how many are left on the waiting list??"

"J-j-just one more, Eiji-sama."

"Then!" Eiji-san turned to Kahoko, his face red, a vein throbbing on his neck. "If this last person does not meet your standards, I will override your casting prerogative, and I will handpick Karina's fingers myself!!!"

Muttering to himself, Eiji-san settled back into his seat as Hakuba quickly scampered out of the room to fetch the next girl to audition. Seeing the mess she was causing, Kahoko sighed.

"Kaho-chan," Hihara said from her left, "don't back down to Eiji-san. I'm sure he won't override your choice as musical director. He knows you're the best person for the job."

"Kazuki's right, Kaho-chan," Mio said from her other side. "There's no one else who can do this better than you can. But..." she broke off, her eyebrows furrowing, "don't you think you're being a bit too selective about your choices? All the pianists who came to audition today were very talented. I particularly liked the last performer-"

Kahoko shook her head stubbornly. "They all had perfect technique, that's true. But remember Karina's character isn't supposed to be technique-oriented; she's someone who plays purely from the heart. One of the women who auditioned earlier played close to how I imagined Karina's piano, but…" Kahoko bit her lip. "Her fingers didn't look right."

Hihara groaned as Mio sighed. Kahoko flinched inwardly. It wasn't her fault that Hitsugaya Aki, the actress who was cast for the role of Karina, had fair complexion and a petite frame while Auditionee #15 had big, chubby fingers attached to brown, callused palms. [2] If she was going to look for the right pianist to bring to life Karina's music, Kahoko was determined not to compromise.

"Please stand over here."

Hakuba had returned, leading the last girl to face the casting crew. She was an exceptionally pretty woman; even through thick, dark-rimmed glasses, her emerald green eyes sparkled with intelligence, and her long lashes enhanced the effect of her steady gaze. Her dark brown hair, however, was wrapped in a messy bun that rested on the back of her head, and her plain clothes did nothing to improve her appearance.

Slightly perturbed, Kahoko took a quick look at the girl's fingers – they were all that mattered. She was pleased to see that the auditionee's fingers were long, delicate, and altogether strikingly elegant. Despite herself, Kahoko felt hope blossom up inside her. Perhaps this girl would be the one…

"Introduce yourself," Eiji-san commanded curtly.

"Hai," the girl promptly answered. "Hajimemashite, Hondou Erika desu," she said with a deep bow. "I am a fresh graduate from the Momogaoka College of Music, [1] majoring in piano. Although I have not entered any music competitions, I am well-experienced in playing for large audiences due to the nature of my work as a performing artist. My influences include Chopin and Mozart, among others, and-"

"That's enough detail, thank you," Eiji-san interrupted cooly. "What will you play for us today?"

"An original composition, Sir," Hondou said without missing a beat. "A piano sonata entitled _Snowy Mountain_."

Eiji-san could hardly conceal his grin. "You're a brave one," he commented. "The first of twenty-four girls to play an original piece. Let's hear it then," he said, snuggling into his seat.

With another deep bow, Hondou Erika proceeded to the grand piano standing in the middle of the studio. For a few moments, she merely stared at the black and white keys, as though recalling something far beyond them. As those elegant, white fingers rose to touch the keyboard, Kahoko felt her breath catch in her throat…

And then the melody. Starting soft and fluid like a cold, windy evening. The keys responding to her gentle touch, creating a symphony so serene and calming, that everyone present in the room ceased breathing for a few heartbeats. Each note seemed to express a kind of suppressed emotion from the pianist, the sounds blending into one harmony that echoed a strangely familiar yet long-forgotten story…

The piece picked up speed and the notes began to collide. Anguish, sheer anguish, was evident from the sounds her fingers made, her desperation evident in the way her music rankled the hearts of everyone who heard it. She was playing passionately, her fingers working frantically, and yet her touch remained gentle such that the melody produced turned out to be one of pain, not anger nor madness. And with a few staccato sounds… the narration ended. All that was left was a girl before a piano, her eyes glazed over with painful recollections she herself had committed to memory by sonata…

The silence that followed her performance was proof that her music was exquisite. Then-

"Bravo," Eiji-san called out in a quaking voice, his hands clapping irregularly. "Bravo!"

Kahoko felt herself snap back to reality. Eiji-san was shaking the hand of a sheepish Hondou Erika; apparently, the director had decided to hire her whether the musical director approved or not. Hihara seemed to be thinking along the same lines, for beside Kahoko, he sat stock still, face straight ahead, murmuring to himself, "That was… amazing."

"It was wonderful, wasn't it, Kaho-chan?" Mio said enthusiastically, grasping her hand. Upon seeing her friend's face, however, Mio's smile disappeared. "Kaho-chan? Why are you crying?"

Kahoko started. She hadn't realized she had done such a thing. Slowly raising her fingers to face, she felt that her cheeks were indeed moist; she had cried unknowingly.

"Aaaaah, it's nothing, Mio," Kahoko assured her friend with forced cheerfulness. She wiped her tears away and gave Mio a glowing smile. "I guess Hondou-san's music just moved me."

Satisfied with this answer, Mio patted Kahoko's hands before rising to join the crowd that had gathered around Hondou Erika. To her left, however, Hihara Kazuki was looking at her with worried eyes. Obviously, he did not buy her explanation.

"There's no need to look so worried, Kazuki," Kahoko assured him playfully. "I'm fine, okay? It's just been a long time since I heard something like that..." Seeing that Hihara was about to argue, Kahoko added, "W-well, don't you think we should meet Hondou-san?" Hastily, she repeated Mio's movements, albeit dazedly.

As she stood amongst the crowd before Hondou Erika, Kahoko found herself thinking why she had been so affected by the other woman's music. Certainly, it was because of her elegant piano, rich both in technique _and_ emotion. Perhaps the bigger factor for the emotion Kahoko felt, however, was the sonata itself: the composition was one of pain and love and… something that could never be? She didn't know how the others felt about the piece, but to Kahoko, it was a force that plunged her into memories that hurt too much to dwell on…

She started when she heard her name.

"… musical director, Hino Kahoko, will brief you regarding the effect we want to create for this movie," Eiji-san was telling Erika. "In the meantime, I want you to grasp the mood that should envelop Karina's character: her past, her hopes, her dreams, her personality – things like that. Contract signing will be two weeks from now; our executive producer is being fickle about her choice of actors." Eiji-san sighed. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask me or my assistant, Hakuba. I look forward to hearing more from you," Eiji-san finished, gracing Erika with a rare smile. As his boss glided out of the room with a brief nod at Kahoko, Hakuba nervously told everyone to, "P-p-pack up!"

Kahoko approached Hondou Erika, who looked a bit lost as the rest of the crew began moving things around the room.

"Hondou-san, hajimemashite. Hino Kahoko desu," Kahoko said with a small smile and an offered hand. "Your piano is… wonderful."

Erika smiled widely, making her look prettier than ever. "Hino-san, I'm honored that you think so," she said humbly, shaking Kahoko's hand. "I heard your work for _Wanted Perfect Orchestra _and _Loop Continuum_; they were really 'out of this world'. [3]"

"Your piece was wonderful, too," Kahoko said appreciatively. "I was deeply moved by it, the way it…" Kahoko bit her lip. This would sound insane, but…

"It seemed to be addressed especially to someone who's important to you," she said slowly, carefully weighing her words. "As if you want that person to hear what you have to say, but you can't… express yourself properly…?"

Erika blanched. "How did you-?"

"Hondou-san," Mio interrupted suddenly, bounding towards the two with a sheaf of papers in her arms. "I've been tasked to fill you in on the story of _Shattered Symphony_; that's the working title of the film. I have the entire script right here, but if you want me to narrate it to you-"

"Ah, yes, please do narrate it to me," Erika said distractedly, stealing a glance at Kahoko.

"Well then-"

Mio cleared her throat importantly and began:

_Once upon a time, there were two children named Karina and Toushirou. They lived in the same town, and they went to the same piano school. She was the granddaughter of a caretaker of one of their city's temples, and he was the only son of a slightly obsessive single parent. Because they were the most gifted students in their piano school, most people considered them as rivals. Karina and Toushirou, however, thought of each other as best friends, and even at such a young age, they knew that they were in love with each other._

"Wait," Erika interrupted, holding a hand up. "Just how old are these kids?"

"10-ish," Kahoko supplied in an undertone. "I know it sounds cheesy, but wait for it-"

"Can you please not interrupt me!"

_As I've said, they were secretly in love with each other. To the outside world, however, they were only rivals. He had better technique, but she eclipsed him in emotion. In a way, they were equals, and this worried Toushirou's mother greatly because she wanted him to be the best. _

_One day, there was talk that the world-renowned pianist Tsuburaya Ginta was visiting their town in search of a protégé. There was great excitement among the students and teachers of Karina and Toushirou's piano school, and there were lots of speculations regarding who would be chosen to train under Sensei Tsuburaya. The general opinion was that Karina would be chosen because her lack of technique would be easier to remedy compared to Toushirou's lack of passion, and when Toushirou's mother heard this, she became very agitated._

_On the night before the children were to meet the Sensei, Toushirou and Karina met in their secret hiding place, beside a river that ran through their town. That night, Toushirou confessed his true feelings for Karina, because he heard the same rumors his mother did. Instead of feeling threatened that Karina was going to be the Sensei's pupil, however, he felt depressed at the thought that he might never see her again. He asked her to remember him even after she had gone to France to study music, in case someday, there were to meet once more. Karina, after admitting her true feelings as well, asked the same thing from Toushirou – that if he was the one chosen by the Sensei, even though they were separated, he must never forget about her… _

_However, on her way to the piano school the next day, Karina was kidnapped by Toushirou's mother and taken away to a nearby town. In reality, she didn't want to harm the kid; she just wanted Karina to be out of the way until Sensei Tsuburaya chose Toushirou. It wasn't simply that she wanted him to win; she just thought it was the best way to secure his future. So she did everything she could to protect him._

_Karina, however, thought the mother was acting irrationally, and so, while Toushirou's mother was not looking, the little girl ran away. Toushirou's mother ran after her, but it was too late: Karina had been run over by a speeding car. Horrified at what she had caused, Toushirou's mother drove back home, not bothering to approach the scene of the crime. At that point, Sensei Tsuburaya had chosen Toushirou as his next protégé, but he and the rest of the piano school were worried about what had happened to Karina. When her grandfather found out that she was missing, he had a heart attack and died. _

_Meanwhile, it turns out that the driver of the car that hit Karina wasYumi, a juvenile delinquent who ran away from home. Her current boyfriend had been teaching her how to drive, but then she ran over a little kid. Scared, and abandoned by her boyfriend, Yumi took the body home to her family. Upon closer inspection, her father realized that the girl was still alive, so they decided to nurse her back to health. Meanwhile, they searched for a little girl who might be missing in the vicinity, but they didn't find any. _

_When Karina finally woke up, she couldn't remember anything. Because the family's search for her true identity was fruitless, they decided to keep her, especially because Yumi and her younger brother Shuichi were growing fond of the stranger. They renamed her Nadeshiko, and from then on they treated her as their own daughter. _

_Fast forward to ten years later. Nadeshiko is studying at a local university, training to become a teacher, playing piano only as a sideline. Shuichi is now a restaurant owner, and he has come to think of her as more than just a sister. In fact, he loves her, and he supports her in any way he can. So when he sees an ad for an amateur piano competition – meaning no piano majors from music colleges are allowed to join – he encourages her to participate. Under much prodding from the side of Shuichi and her new family, Nadeshiko finally signs up, and this is where the real story starts. _

_See, the competition is a newly founded event in memory of Sensei Tsuburaya, who passed away recently. Given the nature of the competition, Toushirou was, of course, asked to be one of the judges. He was now a famous international musician, but still, he never forgot his promise to Karina, many many years ago, and he never stopped thinking of her. So when he takes his post in the panel of judges and sees a girl who looks exactly like Karina, and plays exactly like Karina, he is shocked, and he confronts her about her identity. Shuichi, being distrustful, tells him that she is his sister, and because Karina is confused, she agrees and says that she is indeed Nadeshiko. So the conflict is: What will happen to Karina and Toushirou's promise? _

Erika was thoughtful for a few moments, ignoring the fact that Mio was expecting some sort of reaction. "You know, technically, Toushirou did keep his end of the promise because he never forgot about her. Ending up with each other wasn't really part of the deal, actually."

"That's not the point!" Mio said, frustrated. "The ultimate question of the movie is whether they'll end up with each other! First love never dies and all that!"

"Mio, don't get so worked up," Kahoko warned. "I think Hondou-san is just trying to view the story from a logical perspective-"

"You can't treat love with logic-!"

"Gomenasai, Hondou-san," Kahoko said, turning to Erika desperately. "Mio wrote this story so she gets very depressed when people don't appreciate it-"

"It's not that I don't appreciate it," Erika negated. "I just think it's a bit melodramatic, that's all. And highly improbable, for that matter. But if it's drama you want," she said to Mio, "this movie certainly has all the makings of a good tearjerker."

"You really mean that?" Mio asked, eyes glistening.

Erika nodded, smiling. "I think childhood memories always bring out bittersweet emotions in people. Not to mention, both guys care deeply for Karina, so it's going to be really difficult for her to choose… On one hand, there's the person she's loved since she was younger, but on the other hand, there's someone who's always been there and will always be there for her."

At this point, Erika's mood shifted suddenly, her eyes shadowed in sadness. "I'm sure it's going to be very tough for her to decide which one she really wants to be with. But her indecision isn't good for any of them… The sooner she decides, the less painful it will be for all of them involved."

Mio and Kahoko looked at each other. It certainly seemed as though Erika was talking about a very personal matter…

"Hondou-san…"

"Kaho-chan, Mio-chan!" Hihara Kazuki came bounding over to the three of them, distracting Mio and Kahoko and jolting Erika back to reality. "Mimiko-san let me off early today. Shall we go to Nami-chan's party then?"

"Oh yeah…"

Amou Nami had recently been accepted as an entertainment correspondent at a primetime talk show. Having dreamed of holding said position for a very long time, Nami thought of throwing a party for her closest friends just to celebrate her promotion.

"I guess we should get going," Kahoko said, after checking her watch.

"I think you guys should go ahead," Mio told them, scratching her nose. "I promised Nami I would give her a gift if she got promoted, but with all the commotion that the movie casting caused… I kind of forgot to get her something."

"We can help you pick out a gift for Nami-"

"No, Kaho-chan," Mio interrupted, shaking her head. "You should go ahead. Nami will have a fit if she thinks we've deserted her or something…"

"But-"

"I'll see you later then!"

With a small wave, Mio rushed out of the studio without a backward glance. Frowning, Kahoko watched her friend's retreating back. Although Mio had given a perfectly reasonable excuse, Kahoko couldn't help thinking that this was another mad "Kahuki" matchmaking plan.

"Shall we go then, Kaho-chan?" Hihara smiled at Kahoko, face shining with hope.

"Actually, I…"

Seeing Erika looking curiously between the two of them, Kahoko was instantly struck with a brilliant idea.

"I wanted to invite Hondou-san, as well," she chirped happily. Turning to Erika with a smile, she said, "How would you like to go to the party with us, Hondou-san? I'm sure you'll have fun!"

"Oh, but…" Erika looked hesitant. "Are you sure it's all right? I don't even know the host-"

"Don't worry," Kahoko said, waving Erika's excuse aside. "Nami loves meeting new people; I'm sure she won't mind our inviting you."

"Well then… thank you," Erika accepted, smiling graciously. "I'd really love to go with you. I never did go out much when I was in college…"

"That's such a shame!" Kahoko said, linking her arm with Erika's while trying to ignore the fact that a certain green-haired model had just sighed deeply. "Pretty girls like you shouldn't stay cooped up in their houses – you should live a little more!"

"That's what a friend of mine used to say," Erika said, grinning as the two women walked arm-in-arm towards the studio exit. "I can't imagine what he'll think when he sees me right now!" she added, laughing.

_Even her laugh is pretty!_

"Kaho-chan, wait!" Hihara called out from behind them. "Don't go out!"

"What? Why?" Kahoko asked, bewildered. She and Erika had already stepped out of the studio and into a marble hallway, both of their faces turned towards Hihara, who was wearing a nervous expression. "What's wrong, Kazuki?"

"I think I see-"

"Hizuki-san! Hino-san! What can you say about this upcoming movie?"

Whirling around, Kahoko saw a swarm of paparazzi gathering around her and Erika, popping out of nowhere. As they formed a closed circle around her and Erika, Kahoko felt for the other woman's hand; surely it was her who they were after.

"Hello, Miss," one reporter said to Erika, a camera flashing behind him. "Are you one of the new actresses for this new film? What role will you be playing? What kind of movie will this be? Who are your co-actors? What does it feel like to be working alongside the world-renowned director, Eiji-san?"

"Actually, it's not really like that," Erika started to explain. "I'm just-"

"Hi there!" Hihara greeted, jumping into the middle of the circle. Standing in front of Erika and Kahoko, he addressed the reporters by saying, "As of this moment, we're not authorized to release any information about the movie yet, not until our producer gives the final say-so. I can assure all of you, however, that this is going to be a one-of-a-kind movie, and arguably the most interesting one I've ever worked on so far."

Hihara's timely action did the trick. Instantly, the spotlight focused on him instead, as though completely forgetting that Kahoko and Erika were standing right behind him.

"Hizuki-san, what role will you be playing in this movie-?"

"Hizuki-san, how has winning the Youth Vote Awards [3] for Best Actor changed your life-?"

"Hizuki-san, is it true you're good friends with Tsuchiura Ryoutaro-?"

"I'll handle things here," Hihara whispered to Kahoko and Erika. "You two go ahead. I'll meet you in the parking lot. I brought the green vintage today," he added to Kahoko.

"All right," she confirmed, nodding. "Thank you, Kazuki."

Giving her a small wink, Hihara turned back to the press and, with a smile, began to speak.

"In response to your question, Shiina-san, like I said, I can't reveal anything about the movie yet. Definitely, I'll be portraying a very different character from the ones I've played before… but I can't say anything about it until we do the contract signing-"

As the media listened attentively to what Hihara was saying, Erika and Kahoko extricated themselves from the crowd. A few of the reporters tried to glean a bit of information from them as they left, but Kahoko, who had a little experience with situations like this, merely kept walking straight ahead, keeping her eyes downcast.

As they entered the elevator, Kahoko and Erika saw the reporters who had trailed after them take last-minute pictures. As the last of the blinding flashes disappeared behind closing metal doors, Kahoko punched the key for the ground floor, slumped against the cold wall of the elevator, and sighed.

"Thank goodness Kazuki jumped in," she said gratefully. "I wouldn't know how to handle the paparazzi if he wasn't there. Come to think of it," she said, struck by a sudden realization, "they shouldn't even be up here – this is private property!"

"Well, they are the paparazzi, after all," Erika reasoned. "Although I have to admit, Hihara-san seems very familiar with all the attention. He didn't seem unfazed at all."

"You'll be surprised to know how camera-shy he used to be," Kahoko told her, smiling. "After his first CM project, he had a couple of fan girls, and he couldn't accept his new popularity very well. If you told me then that he'd pursue a career in the entertainment industry, I wouldn't believe you at all!"

"You seem to know him very well," Erika noted. "I take it you're good friends?"

"We've known each other since high school, so I do know him well," Kahoko admitted. "He hasn't changed much, actually. He's always been warm and friendly, and always ready to help-"

The elevator suddenly lurched, the lights flickering. And then it stopped completely.

"What happened?" Kahoko asked, straightening up. "Is it a blackout?"

"I suppose," Erika said, looking at the busted lights. "I wonder if it's the whole building…"

"This is bad," Kahoko said, walking over to the buttons on the elevator wall and pressing the one reserved for emergencies. "The emergency button seems busted, too."

"There isn't any signal either," Erika observed after checking her phone. Through the darkness of the boxed room, Kahoko saw her companion glance up. "Do you think we should try climbing up?"

"Like they do in movies?" Kahoko asked. "I don't think we should. We're stuck between the 21st and 22nd floors, so it's difficult to get to either of them. Besides, we're in no immediate danger, so I think we should just wait for someone to realize that we're in here…"

"You're probably right."

Kahoko felt Erika sit on the floor in front of the metal doors. Following suit, Kahoko sat beside her, and together, they spent their first minute of dark isolation in silence.

"So," Erika said, breaking the calm. "Are you and Hihara-san dating?"

"W-what?!" Kahoko asked, shocked. "Where did you get that idea?"

"Oh, I just assumed. While you were talking about him, your eyes seemed so distant, not to mention you had a small smile on your face-"

"That's because we're friends, like I told you," Kahoko countered. It was a good thing it was dark, or Erika would see her face heating up. "He's a really old friend, just like Mio. There's nothing going on between the two of us, honestly-"

"Why are you being so defensive then?" Erika teased. "It's strange that you're reacting this strongly if there's really nothing going on between you two. I personally think you look good together."

Kahoko shook her head. And then she realized Erika could not see her.

"I've always thought of Kazuki as just a friend," she said firmly. "That's all there is to it."

She felt Erika's eyes scanning her expression through the darkness.

"I see…" Erika said after a while. "I take it to mean you're already in love with someone else?"

"WHAT? No, that's not- I'm-!"

"It's okay, Hino-san," Erika said, laughing as she waved down Kahoko's protests. "I'm pretty sure a person like you has a lot of admirers. Am I right?"

"Hondou-san, just where do you get your ideas?" Kahoko said, slumping lower down the wall.

Erika laughed. "So I am right! Hurrah for me!" she cheered, clapping gaily.

"Don't be silly, Hondou-san! I'm not in love with anyone right now!"

"But surely you've been in love before," Erika countered.

"Well, that's-"

"What was he like, your first love?"

Scowling, Kahoko asked, "You ask a lot of questions, don't you?"

"Pleeeease?" Erika pleaded, holding both hands up in front of her. "I promise not to tell anyone. Not even if they threaten me, or pay me, or torture me-"

"All right, all right, pipe down," Kahoko said with a small smile. Her mood shifting suddenly, she took her time before saying, "I've… been in love only once before, back when I was younger. He was this guy from my old high school, and he was quiet and mysterious, and I never really knew much about him because he rarely spoke about what was going on in his mind. He was just so… difficult to read."

She sighed before plodding on.

"He played the violin, and, don't think I'm saying this just because I liked him, he was the best musician in our school. He practiced his violin all the time, and he made such wonderful music that I could go on and on just listening to him play…"

There was silence as Kahoko ceased speaking, apparently wrapped up in her memories.

"What happened then?" Erika asked softly. "Are you guys still together?"

"No, he left for Vienna shortly after we started dating," Kahoko said heavily. "I never saw him after that, but I hope he's happy now."

"Have you ever tried contacting him?"

"I really don't think I should," Kahoko said, smiling faintly. "He's there, and I'm here, and… I guess things are better off this way."

She sighed again, forcibly reminded of him. As she closed her eyes and saw his face materialize in her mind's eye, she realized that even after all his years, the wounds from their relationship still hurt. Wanting to change the topic, she turned to her companion and asked, "How about you, Hondou-san? Are you in love right now?"

"Ah, well…"

"Come on, now, don't be shy," Kahoko teased, taking pleasure in her revenge. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Um, it's not like that, really," Erika said sheepishly. "But… I guess I do like someone…"

Taking Kahoko's silence as a sign that she should continue, Erika explained further.

"There's this guy I went to college with," she said slowly. "He's actually very ill-tempered, and at first I honestly didn't like him. I tried to befriend him, but he always so aloof. It even came to the point when he irritated me so much that I gave him a piece of my mind, and told him he was the worst person ever!"

Erika paused, savoring the memory.

"Then one day, my teacher told me I was never going to be a great pianist," she continued. "She said I always played too carelessly, that my interpretations of the pieces I played always reflected too much of my childish character, and they ended up losing their meaning. I was crying alone in one of the classrooms when he found me, and after I told him what was wrong, he just stared."

"But then he said, 'I see where your teacher is coming from; you do seem very half-hearted. If you want to improve your performance, you have to put music at the forefront of your mind. How can you expect people to treat you seriously if you're not serious yourself?'"

To Kahoko's surprise, Erika giggled.

"I was so shocked when he talked to me like that," she reminisced. "I was ready to scream at him for being so insensitive when he suddenly told me to play a piece - any piece. So I played Beethoven's _Pathetique_, mainly because I felt so pathetic at that time. As I was playing, he didn't interrupt me at all; he just listened. And when I was done, all he said was, "That wasn't so bad." And then he left."

Erika was now hugging her knees, still talking as though lost in thought.

"Since that incident, I began to take a little more interest in him," she said. "First out of curiosity, and then out of the genuine desire to become good friends with him, and then the time came…" Erika paused, hiding her face behind her knees. "I realized I liked him. I love him. And I never want to be parted from him… ever."

Kahoko found herself smiling. The story was oddly familiar.

"You really like him then?" she asked Erika.

Looking up from behind her knees, Erika fixed her eyes on Kahoko's face and nodded.

"Then," Kahoko said, taking the other woman's hand, "be sure to treasure him. A love, once lost, can never be found again."

"Are you speaking based on experience?" Erika teased.

"Hondou-san! I'm trying to be serious here!"

"I know! That's what makes it so funny!"

At that moment, the lights flickered on again, and they heard the sound of the elevator coming back to life. Rising to their feet, they checked to see where they were. The 20th floor.

"We're moving again," observed Kahoko. "I hope Kazuki isn't too worried about us…"

"Ne, Hino-san," Erika said suddenly. Kahoko turned to her curiously. "May I call you by your first name?"

Kahoko smiled. "Sure," she answered.

"Jaa, Kaho-san," Erika said. "You may call me Erika from now on. Or Eri, if you want to…"

"How about Eri-chan?"

"That makes me sound like a kid!"

"Well you are a kid, in more ways than one," Kahoko said, laughing.

Upon reaching the ground floor, the first sight that greeted them as the metal doors opened was a worried Hihara Kazuki, surrounded by lots of people Kahoko didn't know.

"Kaho-chan! Hondou-san!" Kazuki exclaimed the moment he saw them. "Thank goodness you're all right! I'm so sorry we weren't able to get to you much sooner; there was a problem in the power room so they wanted all of us to evacuate. But it's okay now, it turned out to be just a false alarm."

"It's all right, Kazuki," Kahoko said, smiling. "Erika-san and I talked about a lot of things while we were stuck in the elevator. I feel as though I know her well already," she said, and the two girls exchanged smiles. "How long were we trapped inside?"

"About two hours, give or take a few minutes-"

"Two hours?!" Erika exclaimed, disbelief etched on her face. "I didn't think it was that long. Our conversation certainly didn't seem that lengthy…"

"Still, it's the truth," Hihara told them. "The power failure caused such a big commotion because FBC's transmission got affected as well [3]. It appears to be a big loss for the company, and I hear the executives are going to have a conference right now. In fact," Hihara said, looking apologetic, "there are a lot of reporters here right now to cover the commotion. I wish we could take a route other than the one through the lobby but… given the tight security, it's our only choice."

Together, they walked towards the lobby of the FB building. Indeed, there were many reporters loitering in it, supervised by several security guards. Aside from the reporters, there were other people gathered around the lobby as well: stage crew, desk workers, HR personnel, and even a few celebrities. Feeling overwhelmed, Kahoko turned to Hihara and asked, "Has it been like this for 2 hours?"

"Pretty much," Hihara replied. "Although the reporters have become more aggressive now because I hear the bosses are coming. And we have to leave before they do, or we'll never get past that crowd."

"Right. Come on, Eri-chan."

"I'm sorry, Kaho-san," Erika said, smiling apologetically. "I'm afraid I'm a bit tired. I think I'll go home early."

"What?" Kahoko asked, concern preceding her selfish desire not to be left alone with Hihara. "Maybe getting stuck in that elevator was bad for you. Are you claustrophobic?"

"I don't think so," Erika replied. "But I really don't feel well…"

"Let us take you home then," Hihara offered.

"It's okay," Erika said, shaking her head. "You go on ahead. I doubt I have the strength to go through that crowd just yet, so I'll wait here until I'm feeling well enough to go home."

"Oh, but-"

"It's okay, Kaho-san," Erika assured her. "Really, it is."

Kahoko stared at Erika, a frown on her face. Hihara only stared at her, too, until one of the reporters shouted, "They're just a block away. Get ready!"

"That's our cue," Hihara said. "We should head off now."

Kahoko nodded. "You sure you'll be okay, Erika-san?" she asked, eyes filled with concern.

Erika grinned. "Sure! I can take care of myself!"

"Well then… I'll see you soon," Kahoko said with a small wave as she and Hihara began to walk away. Erika waved back, watching the two of them walk past an excited media crowd, camera lights flashing from each direction to capture a photo of Hihara Kazuki leading Hino Kahoko by the hand. With all the fuss, Erika didn't feel the presence of someone standing closely behind her, until he whispered, "Mission accomplished, Ojousama. Do you have any other orders?"

Jumping into the air, Erika forced herself, not without difficulty, to keep her face straight and not to turn around. Moving her lips as little as possible, she said, "Naoto-san, how many times have I told you not to scare me like that?"

"I'm sorry, Ojousama," the man said. "But I thought you didn't want our presence to be conspicuous."

"I suppose that's right," Erika agreed. "You've done well, Naoto-san. Arigatou."

"My pleasure, Ojousama."

Erika kept silent for a moment, watching Kahoko and Hihara walk past the last of the paparazzi and exit through the building's large glass entrance. She frowned unconsciously, sure that somehow, one of them had feelings for the other.

"Is there something wrong, Ojousama?" Naoto-san inquired. "Did you not enjoy your talk with Hino Kahoko-sama?"

"It's not that," Erika whispered in reply. "It's just… she's not anything like I expected her to be."

She was pensive, thinking of all that Kahoko had told her. If she had said the truth, then until now…

"I'll meet you at the konbini three blocks away from here," Erika told Naoto-san. "Thank you again for your hard work."

"Hai, Ojousama."

The man in the black suit and the pretty woman with plain clothes separated ways - he blending into the crowd, she walking through the crowd of reporters to exit via the glass doors. A few cameras flashed in her direction, but generally, she was ignored because she was not a familiar face. As she walked out of the Fujioka Broadcasting Channel Tower and down the pristine white steps, a black limousine stopped before her. Raising her eyes to inspect the car, she made a quick assessment of it, and proceeded to ignore it.

As her feet left the last of the white steps, a driver opened the limousine door and out of it stepped a handsome man in his mid-twenties, with silky, long blue hair and deep, shrewd eyes. It was with these eyes that he fixed a gaze at the woman who was decidedly ignoring his presence, wondering who she was and why she had such an inscrutable expression on her face. Before he could formulate an assumption, however, a soft touch brought him back to reality, as an elegantly-dressed lady with soft brown curls stepped out of the limousine after him, linking her arm with his. Smiling at the woman, Yunoki Azuma covered her small hand with his own, and gently led her up the white steps of the building.

As they walked through the glass doors of FBC Tower, camera flashes blinded them from all directions. Although Yunoki was never one to hate attention, at this moment, he wanted to be free from the spotlight, to have all the interest showered on someone else for once. After all, whatever had he done in his life to merit so much curiosity from the press? He had always done his best not to stand out, hadn't he?

It seemed, however, that his companion was comfortable with their situation. In fact, she merely stood before the press, smiling for the cameras and waving at a few people she knew. Taking her lack of apparent animosity as a good sign to ask a question, one of the reporters raised a hand and inquired:

"Fujioka-sama, Yunoki-sama, is it true that you're engaged?"

Fujioka Rumi's light blue eyes met Yunoki's topaz ones. And then, she smiled.

**Next: **

**Chapter Two: Rubbing Elbows with Movie Stars**

"_Eri… chan?"_

_Following Erika's gaze, Kahoko was surprised to see that the person her friend was staring at unabashedly was the man Nami and Mio had been talking about earlier. Even the stranger, Takishima Makoto, wore an expression identical to Erika's, as though he could not believe he was seeing her there either. Confused, Kahoko turned to Erika, who was still in shock._

"_Eri-chan, what's going on?" _

**A/N: **

*Wipes brow* It's overwhelming, isn't it? I tried editing it over and over and over, but I didn't know what to do about the writing's frenzied pace! Ranting and overdescribing are habits that I don't know how to break, and shame because they make my work so unreadable. But! I hope you enjoy working out the implied truths I scattered all over the chapter. I restrained myself from explaining _everything_, so I guess there are some things you'll have to piece together on your own. *points at the large block of italics* I couldn't leave out the _SS _explanation though; in Mio's flippant narration, no less.

**PS **Thanks so much to everyone who's read the story so far. Honestly, I uploaded this story thinking no one would read it, much less review it, so I was very happy when I got notifications telling me that _BTG_ had been reviewed! Yehey! Thanks to a**riadne-chan**,** PrayerSenshi**,and** FrozenRoseLady,** esp. ariadne-chan, who is my favorite _La Corda d'Oro _fan fic author. Do yourselves a favor and favorite her as well! That is, if you haven't yet.

**Revenge of the Footnotes**

[1] The Maradonna piano competition and the Momogaoka College of Music are both from _Nodame Cantabile_ by Ninomiya Tomoko.

[2] I'm assuming that, because we can't expect all beautiful and talented dramatic actresses to be able to play the piano expertly, Eiji-san is expected to hire professional pianists to cater to the movie's musical needs. Like lip-synching for pretty people who can't sing.

[3] Products of my imagination.


	3. Chapter 2: Rubbing Elbows w Movie Stars

**Bridging the Gap**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Chapter Two: Rubbing Elbows with Movie Stars**

**A/N: **

I'm going to tell you something: what's now Chapter Two actually used to be chapters two and three. See, I realized I should make this fanfic more reader-friendly instead of writing simply for my personal pleasure, and when I thought about it, I realized that I personally don't mind reading long chapters as long as they're eventful. Since there was nothing remotely 'important' in the original Chapter Two, I merged it with the original Chapter Three. And voila! Some resemblance of plot development – finally! [Warning: Horribly, insanely LONG chapter coming through.] Also, please forgive my haphazard writing style. Gomenasai! ::X

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own _La Corda d'Oro_; the whole concept belongs to Kure Yuki-sensei. Also, I unabashedly made some references to Ninomiya Tomoko-sensei's _Nodame Cantabile_; said references aren't mine either.

**Previously: **

**Chapter One: Finger Auditions**

"_Is there something wrong, Ojousama?" Naoto-san inquired. "Did you not enjoy your talk with Hino Kahoko-sama?" _

"_It's not that," Erika whispered in reply. "It's just… she's not anything like I expected her to be." _

_She was pensive, thinking of all that Kahoko had told her. If she had said the truth, then until now…_

**Chapter Two: Rubbing Elbows with Movie Stars**

"Nami! Look, look! Matsuda Shun just came in!"

"My God, he really is more handsome in person, isn't he?"

"Forget handsome – he's hot!"

"Nah, I like _RS Oke_'s new conductor better [1] - the guy in the black leather jacket."

"I've never seen him before. What's his name?"

"Takishima Makoto, I think. Youngest son of the electronics tycoon, you know?"

"Well, he is eye candy. But a bit too rugged, if you ask me…"

Kahoko sighed as she eyed her friends huddling in one corner, pointing out the celebrities in their midst.

"Um, guys, don't you think you're being too conspicuous?"

"What do you mean?" Nami demanded, frowning. "We're trying to be as inconspicuous as possible!"

Eyeing Nami's frozen finger, which was pointed at a handsome, dark-haired stranger sitting across the room, Kahoko laughed nervously. "Ahhh… if you say so."

Mio suddenly giggled.

"Nami-chan, I'm so happy you'll be working with us!" she said, hugging Nami's waist. "I still can't believe we're all working on the same project! This movie's important to all of us, you realize? It's my first screenplay, your first primetime media coverage, and Kaho-chan's first drama. Isn't it fantastic?"

Kahoko found herself smiling at the sight of her two friends horsing around and laughing out loud. It was true that this movie was significant to the three of them, and because of that, she couldn't afford to fail.

_Still_, she thought, looking around the crowded conference room, _this task is a bit overwhelming, ne?_

It was the day of the contract signing. In FBC Tower's largest, most elegant conference room, complete with a long glass table and wall-length fiber-glass windows overlooking Tokyo, the crème de la crème of the movie industry had gathered to meet their colleagues for this latest project.

There was, of course, Eiji-san, who was known worldwide for his blockbuster films. Also present were Hitsugaya Aki and Matsuda Shun, arguably the hottest commodities in show business at the moment. Hihara Kazuki, of course, was respected for his critically-acclaimed acting, which gained him recognition even abroad. And then there was also Tsuchiura Ryoutaro…

Tsuchiura, who had been talking with Eiji-san up until that moment, suddenly looked up and found Kahoko staring at him. As she flushed a deep crimson, he grinned widely at her, raising his hand in greeting. Feeling silly, Kahoko waved back, before looking elsewhere in an attempt to distract herself; she ended up thinking about him anyway.

After high school, Tsuchiura decided to pursue a career in classical music, so he majored in piano through college. As a sideline, and partly to gain career experience and exposure, he began performing in various events until his current manager, Namura-san, discovered his talent and encouraged him to study abroad. After a few years spent training under the wing of some of the world's greatest pianists, he became sorely homesick, and he returned to Japan. Since then, he quickly climbed the ladder of fame and glory, although he was infamous for being extremely selective about the projects he took on. This made Kahoko wonder, for the millionth time: Why had he chosen to work on _Shattered Symphony_, when he could be training more intensively and making himself more famous abroad?

As she mulled over Tsuchiura's odd decision, Kahoko realized she had not seen Erika in the conference room yet. Was she late _again_?

Kahoko smiled inwardly. In the past two weeks since she had met Hondou Erika, she had come to know a lot about her new friend. For one, she realized Erika was perhaps the most disturbingly energetic people she had ever met, and she never seemed to be able to sit still. She was also never early, which was how she ended up being the last person during the casting audition. They also discovered, much to their pleasant surprise, that they both liked sweets, so they often visited various sweet shops and cafes in the neighborhood just to test the food.

It was during one of these food trips together that Kahoko also found out how sensitive Erika could be. At the opening of a new restaurant, while they waited for their dessert to arrive, the two of them began talking about how they saw themselves ten years from now. Kahoko, even with much prodding on Erika's part, simply could not imagine herself being any different from the person she was at present. Erika, however, had planned out a definite future for herself, which she unabashedly shared:

"_All I want," she said as she played with her teacup, "is to be happy. I don't care if I don't make it big as a classical pianist; I only want to be married to a wonderful, loving husband, and have lots of beautiful babies. I don't want to live in a large house; I want to live in a small house so we'll have no choice but to see each other everyday. And I never ever want to experience my husband cheating on me. If he marries me, I don't want him looking at anybody else, and he has to promise me that I will be the last woman in his life."_

_Suddenly, after saying that last statement, Erika burst into tears. Kahoko, panicking, tried to comfort her and ask her what was wrong, but she merely shook her head and refused to speak. Then, almost as instantly as she had cried, Erika cracked a lopsided grin. _

"_Kaho-san, I'm so sorry for worrying you," she said in a low voice. "It's just… I think you should know that… I'm bipolar." _

_Kahoko stared. _

"_Well that explains a lot of things," she teased, recognizing the joke._

_Erika blinked. "You saw through that?"_

_It was finally Kahoko's turn to laugh._

"Kaho-chan!" Mio's voice sounded distant to her ears. "What are you looking for? The contract signing is about to start. We should take our seats."

"Um, yes, you're right," Kahoko agreed. Seating herself beside Mio and Nami, she directed her eyes at Eiji-san, who had now risen from his seat to address the crew. The sight of the empty seat beside her, however, nagged at the back of her mind, and she wondered where on Earth Hondou Erika could possibly be.

"Good afternoon, minna-san," Eiji-san greeted, answered by a collective hello from those present. "As you all know, today we will be officially be committing to FBC's latest movie project, [2] a musical drama with the working title _Shattered Symphony_." He paused as the people in the room clapped, cheered, and even catcalled. "Before we proceed to the official contract signing, I would like to introduce the cast and the crew first; please rise as I acknowledge you-"

"Matsuda Shun."

A pale, lanky man with artfully windblown blue hair stood up, smiling, raising his hand in response to the warm applause he received.

"Hitsugaya Aki."

The petite, doe-eyed beauty sitting next to him got to her feet, bowing deeply, a small smile on her heart-shaped face.

"Hihara Kazuki."

Hihara jumped up from his seat, causing everyone to laugh, before bowing several times with a wide grin gracing his features.

"And of course, playing Toushirou's mother we have the legendary Akizuki Ran-sama-"

"Kaho-san," a soft voice suddenly whispered in her ear. "How much did I miss?"

Kahoko turned around and saw Erika crouching behind her, an anxious expression on her face. Motioning for her friend to sit down beside her, Kahoko whispered back, "Not much, we've only just stared. Where have you been all this time?"

"I'm sorry, I kind of woke up late," Erika said apologetically. "I stayed up all night watching _Gunman Rebirth _[3]; it was too addictive to put down, I'm so sorry!"

Kahoko sighed. "One day, you'll wake up and realize that too much entertainment is bad for you," she lectured seriously. "Watching anime for hours on end won't feed you, will it? Now, if you had gone to bed early, you would have gotten here on time, and then you could have joined Mio and Nami in their search for Mr. Perfect-"

Halfway through her rant, Kahoko stopped talking, realizing that Erika was not listening to her. Instead, the younger girl was staring up ahead, a look of shock on her face.

"Eri… chan?"

Following Erika's gaze, Kahoko was surprised to see that the person her friend was staring at unabashedly was the man Nami and Mio had been talking about earlier. Even stranger was the fact that Takishima Makoto was staring at Erika, too, wearing an expression identical to hers: it was as though both of them could not believe they were seeing each other at that exact moment. Confused, Kahoko turned to Erika, who was still in shock.

"Eri-chan, what's going on?"

"And, of course, we have our musical director, Hino Kahoko-sama."

Kahoko blinked. Eiji-san had just called her name, and now everyone in the conference room was clapping politely, with the exception of Hihara who was cheering loudly. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Kahoko stood up quickly, keeping her flustered face turned towards the table, before bowing quickly and resuming her seat.

"We're also privileged to have on our team Tsuchiura Ryoutaro-sama-"

Tsuchiura stood up, waved at random, and then quickly sat back down.

"And Hondou Erika-sama, whose amazing talent we thankfully discovered during the auditions."

As Erika stood up to be recognized, Kahoko saw Takishima Makoto's eyebrows meet, a scowl forming on his face. Perhaps he felt her looking at him, for he suddenly met her topaz eyes with his grey ones. Blushing scarlet but refusing to back down, Kahoko held his gaze, daring him to look away. For a while he only stared at her, his expression calculating, until suddenly, realization dawned on him and his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Again, we're also very lucky to have on our team _Rising Star Orchestra_ led by their new conductor Takishima Makoto-sama-"

Takishima tore his gaze away from Kahoko's. After blinking successively for a moment, his face smoothened and with a charming smile, he stood up and raised a hand to be recognized. Almost instantly, a girlish squeal penetrated the air – an embarrassingly familiar one at that. As the crowd roared with laughter, Kahoko buried her face in her hands, wondering why Nami hadn't changed one bit since they met seven years ago.

"Last but not the least," Eiji-san said as the laughter died down, "we have with us today our Executive Producer, Fujioka Rumi-sama." He motioned towards the beautiful young woman sitting at the head of the table. "Rumi-san, I turn things over to you, if you please."

"Thank you, Eiji-san," she said in a small voice that perfectly matched her doll-like features. "Let's give our director a warm round of applause," she added, leading the applause as Eiji-san bowed gracefully before being seated.

"First off, let me apologize for the delays in our filming schedule," Rumi said. "I have to admit that I caused most of them, primarily due to my desire to make sure everything was perfect, especially the casting…

"I have to admit that I'm very nervous about working on this project; it's my first one, you see," she admitted, smiling apologetically. "I promise all of you, however, that I will put all my efforts into _Shattered Symphony_, not only because of the generous support I've received from my family and from all of you gathered here, but also because I strongly believe that this movie is truly worth it."

At this, she looked at all of them with a hard, determined look that seemed somehow lost on her delicate features. "It is worth all our blood, and sweat, and tears," she continued. "That's why I encourage all of you to believe in _Shattered Symphony_. Let's all work together towards perfection, minna-san," she finished, bowing deeply to a loud, energetic applause.

"A tall order, don't you think?" Mio whispered to Kahoko, grinning. The latter only laughed nervously. _Fujioka Rumi-san is… scary._

"Right," Rumi said, as someone handed her a sheaf of papers. "Let's get on with the contract signing, shall we?"

As the contracts went around the table, an informal getting-to-know you took place among the people gathered, and the previously formal mood became more down-to-earth and soothing. Kahoko expected Erika to be her usual bubbly, uncontrollable self, but the younger girl was only quietly listening to other people's conversations, right until all the contracts had been signed. Noticing how uncharacteristically her friend was acting, Kahoko tried to get her to loosen up.

"Ne, Eri-chan," she said cheerfully as the crowd began to dissipate. "I hear a new cake shop opened at a train station nearby. Want to check it out?"

Erika stared uncomprehendingly at Kahoko for a few seconds. Then she smiled.

"I'd like that," she said. "And remember, you owe me dinner for beating you at Tekken the other day."

Kahoko laughed just as Mio and Nami popped up suddenly, Nami throwing an arm around Kahoko's neck.

"What's this I hear about a new cake shop?" she inquired, suspicious. "How come we're not invited, eh?" she demanded, tightening her hold.

"We should all go out to celebrate," Mio suggested, ignoring Kahoko's choking gasps. "Why don't we go to _Café Banzai _later? [4] Nao mentioned something about Ladies' Night; we might get free drinks!"

"I wouldn't bet on it," Nami said darkly, releasing Kahoko, who was massaging her throat. "Nao never gives us free dibs on anything, because we've been friends for only what - seven years?"

As the four of them laughed, Takishima Makoto rose from the table and, after a quick handshake with Fujioka Rumi and Eiji-san, left the room, his orchestra members trailing behind him. Erika suddenly stopped laughing. Getting to her feet, she hastily told her friends, "I'll be right back, okay? Don't leave without me. I'll be right back, I promise."

Ignoring the curious looks that Nami and Mio exchanged, and the worried expression on Kahoko's face, Erika raced out of the room as inconspicuously as possible, chasing after Takishima Makoto.

As she entered the hallway, which was packed with people from the conference room, she caught sight of RS Oke turning a corner up ahead. Running after them, she turned the corner, too, but as she closed the distance, she realized Takishima Makoto was not walking with them anymore. Confused, she stopped running, and, for a second, merely stood there wondering where he could have gone. Thinking she could just ask Naoto-san to find him, she turned around and started to walk back to the conference room.

But then a thin, pale hand came out from one of the doorways and closed upon her wrist, pulling her forcefully. Trying not to struggle, Erika allowed herself to be pulled, confident that she knew whose hand it was.

Sure enough, after taking in the high-end recording studio where she now stood, Erika turned around just in time to see Takishima Makoto locking the door. Standing rooted to the spot, Erika regarded his expression; he didn't look angry, but he didn't look happy either. He simply stood before her, his hands on his hips, challenging Erika to say something. And the first thing that came to her mind was:

"Ma-chan! Gomen ne!"

She clapped her hands together, raising them at eye level, hoping Takishima would take the hint and forgive her. His expression, however, did not change.

"Erika," he began, not unkindly, "I think I know why you're here, but I'd like to hear it straight from you anyway. So! Would you like to explain why you're here when you're supposed to be in Vienna? And since when have you needed glasses?"

Sighing, Erika took her glasses off and pocketed them.

"Fine, I'll explain everything to you," she said. "But you have to promise me first that you won't tell anyone - not even your best friend, okay?"

Makoto merely raised an eyebrow. "I really don't think you're in a position to bargain with me-"

Scratching her head in frustration, Erika said impatiently, "Let's just get this over and done with, okay? What do you want to know?"

Makoto sighed. He knew it would be futile to argue with her.

"Why are you here?"

Erika smiled. "To befriend Hino Kahoko, of course," she answered, her green eyes twinkling. "You want to know why?"

"Why…?"

"Because she's Len's first girlfriend," she supplied, apparently pleased with herself. "She's the one he refuses to talk about even after all these years."

Makoto grimaced. "You mean to say you're here for revenge?"

"No, no," Erika said flippantly. "Of course I'm not. Whatever happened between them is their business. I don't care that she broke his heart four years ago, and I don't care whatever happens to her now."

"So why are you here then?"

Erika's expression turned thoughtful, and she began to pace around the small room.

"Sometimes, I wonder, too," she admitted, keeping her eyes glued to her feet. "But every time I try to ask myself about it, the final answer is always that I just want to know what's so good about her. I mean, what could Len possibly have seen in her? Was it her looks, or her talent? Because, she's pretty, but not anything extraordinary, and, as for her skills, I'm pretty sure Len's met a lot of more talented people."

She looked at him straight in the eye.

"I just want to know why he's still affected by her existence."

Makoto grinned. "That's one lengthy euphemism for the word 'jealous'."

Erika scowled. "Hey, shut up," she chided. "I'm not jealous or anything. Curious maybe, but jealous? No way! She may have been his past, but I'm his present now…"

Yet there was something about the way her eyes glazed over that told Makoto otherwise.

"Um, hey," Makoto said awkwardly, trying to break the silence. "You do realize Len has a say in this, too, right? What do you plan to do if he finds out you're getting chummy with Hino Kahoko?"

"Actually, I haven't thought that far into the plan yet," Erika admitted, stretching. "I guess I'll just think of it if it happens. Which I doubt it will, in any case-"

Makoto sighed. "Well, I'm sorry to burst your bubble."

"Ah, minna-san, I don't think you've met my fiancé."

The crowd from the contract signing had already thinned, such that only Kahoko and her friends were left in the conference room. At the sound of Fujioka Rumi's voice, Kahoko stopped talking to Tsuchiura, and whirled around, surprised to see Rumi standing beside a familiar face.

"Yunoki-senpai?" she asked, incredulous.

"Yunoki!" Hihara shouted. "Yunoki Azuma, is that you?!"

"Yes, it's me, Hihara," Yunoki confirmed, laughing. "Hisashiburi."

"So the grapevine's right," Nami mused in a thoughtful tone. "But, Yunoki-senpai, aren't you supposed to be studying in Wharton?"

"Oh, I got my MBA a long time ago. Didn't I tell you?"

"No, you didn't!" Hihara said, running to Yunoki. "You should have told us, we'd have liked to know!"

"I'm sorry, I guess I~"

"Wait, wait," Rumi said, holding a hand up. "Do you know each other?"

"Actually, yes, Fujioka-san," Tsuchiura replied. "We went to the same high school, Seiso Gakuen. Yunoki-senpai was a year ahead of us." He turned to Yunoki. "Congratulations on your engagement, Yunoki-senpai."

"Ahhhhh, yes, congratulations!" Kahoko said enthusiastically, strangely embarrassed.

"Congratulations, Yunoki-senpai!" Mio said happily. "Although I have to admit it's a bit shocking to hear you've suddenly gotten engaged. He used to be very popular with the girls in our school, you know," she added in an undertone to Rumi.

"Oh, that part about him hasn't changed," Rumi said, laughing. "When we go out, every woman in the vicinity stares at him like he's food; it's really rather disconcerting."

"Rumi~"

As everyone present burst into laughter, the door opened and Erika walked in. Seeing everyone clutching their stomachs, tears in their eyes, she walked up to Kahoko, and asked, "What's so funny?"

"Aah, Eri-chan," Kahoko said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "It's nothing, just reminiscing the good old days… By the way, have you met Yunoki-senpai? He's Fujioka-san's fiancé."

As Erika turned to Yunoki, she saw a flash of recognition in his eyes.

"I've seen you before," Yunoki noted. "You were walking out of the FBC Tower on the day of the power failure. I saw you walking down the steps."

"I'm sorry, I don't think I remember," Erika admitted, feeling slightly wary of this new acquaintance. "Then again, I had a lot on my mind that day…"

"Perhaps," Yunoki said lightly. Then he smiled and offered his hand. "I'm Yunoki Azuma, by the way. You are?"

"Hondou Erika desu," Erika said, shaking his hand. "I'm Karina's fingers."

Yunoki's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as everyone else roared with laughter.

"Is that an inside joke?" he asked, sincerely confused. Everyone laughed louder.

"Anyway, Eri-chan," Kahoko said after the rowdiness had subsided. "Do you mind if we go somewhere before we have dinner? We have to meet some old friends," she added, grinning at Mio and Nami, who were dancing on the balls of their feet.

"Erm, about that, I think I have to bail out on dinner today," Erika said. "I suddenly remembered that I have something to take care of, and I only have tonight. So… I'll hang out with you guys some other time, okay?" She waved goodbye to Kahoko and the others, bowing slightly to Rumi and Yunoki, before leaving the room. They all watched her leave, keeping silent until the door clicked shut.

"Eri-chan's very pretty, isn't she?" Nami said suddenly. "It's a shame that she doesn't take care of her God-given gifts."

"She's also really talented," Mio added. "You should have heard her play in the auditions – it was amazing!"

"I would have liked to see it as well," Rumi said sadly. "But I couldn't make it at that time – it's so sad."

"Didn't she graduate from Momogaoka?" Tsuchiura asked thoughtfully, as if remembering something. "It's funny. I used to go there often, and yet I've never seen her before now."

"Hino-san," Yunoki spoke in a low voice such that only Kahoko could hear. "Who is that girl?"

"Eri-chan?" Kahoko asked, confused by the question. "She's the stand-in for the lead character, just like Ryoutaro." Seeing the strange expression on her senpai's face, Kahoko asked, "Why, is something wrong with her?"

He scrutinized her expression, his eyes scanning her face. Kahoko felt herself flush, her cheeks flaming. Yunoki smiled his signature grin before turning to look at the door.

"I don't like her," Yunoki admitted in a whisper. "There's just something about her that unsettles me… You should be wary of her as well."

Feeling confused, Kahoko only stared.

_How can Eri-chan possibly be dangerous? _

"Hey Yunoki," Hihara said suddenly. "You want to come with us to the airport?"

Yunoki instantly composed his suspicious expression into that of polite curiosity. "Why? Who are we meeting?"

Hihara grinned. "Guess."

"Keiichi, I see it!"

Shimizu Keiichi started at the sound of Fuuyumi Shouko's voice, snapping awake and seeing his black suitcase on the carousel.

"Right, Shouko," he said, yawning. "Just wait here, okay?"

Walking past the crowd that gathered around the carousel, Shimizu reached the front of the pack just as someone else grabbed his bag and pulled it to the ground.

"Excuse me," Shimizu said politely. "I think that's my luggage."

But the man did not listen. Instead, he turned away.

"Hey you, that's my suitcase!"

Shimizu ran after the thief, ignoring the looks of curious people who stared at him as he raced past. Closing the gap between him and the man, he grabbed hold of the stranger's wrist.

"Excuse me, but are you even listening?"

The man turned around slowly, unfazed by the sudden interruption. Suddenly, his lips parted in surprise.

"Shimizu?"

"Keiichi!" Shouko called as she appeared right beside him. "I'm sorry, that's not your bag. I just saw it on the carousel right after you went off."

But Shimizu was not listening. He was staring at the man, trying to place the familiar voice.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Do we know each other?"

The stranger unplugged his earphones.

"You don't recognize me?" he asked, his expression inscrutable.

Shimizu and Shouko stared at the man from head to foot. Dark suit, leather shoes, thick sunglasses, a hat perched on his head. Both of them shook their heads.

The man sighed. He took his hat off, revealing a mop of cerulean blue hair. He proceeded to take his glasses off but-

"Don't!" Shouko interrupted, grabbing his hand. "If you do that, people will flock over to us, and we'll never be able to get out."

The man smiled, albeit faintly. "I'm glad you understand."

"Wait, what's going on?" Shimizu asked, confused. "Who is this man?"

"Keiichi, shush," Shouko said, pulling his arm. "Let's talk once we're out of here. Come on."

Allowing Shouko to pull him towards their trolley, where the correct suitcase now perched, Shimizu didn't lift his gaze off the man, who was now trailing them.

_Where have I seen him? He feels so familiar, yet so unfamiliar, too._

"Kei, try to keep up," Shouko said, putting his hands on the bar handles. Shimizu obeyed, still lost. He trailed after Shouko and the stranger, who walked comfortably beside each other, albeit quickly.

"So," she said to their companion. "I thought you were in Vienna."

"I thought you were shy."

"I thought you didn't talk."

"Who says I didn't?"

"Vienna?" Shimizu mumbled to himself. Did they have friends in Vienna? There was that splendid pianist they worked with in Boston, but he wasn't really a friend Shouko could bicker with. Vienna, Vienna, Vienna? The only other friend they had in Vienna was…

"Tsukimori-senpai?!?!"

Shimizu stopped walking a few paces behind the other two, his finger pointed accusatorily at the man who was now sighing to himself.

"Yes, Shimizu, it's me," Tsukimori said. "Now can you please move a bit faster? If you don't, they'll get to us."

"What? Who?"

Shimizu turned around just in time to see a horde of excited females rushing their way. Feeling overwhelmed, he froze, but then a hand closed on his wrist and pulled him.

"Run!" exclaimed the Tsukimori Len Shimizu did not know.

"I still can't believe I didn't recognize you," Shimizu noted, still ogling Tsukimori. "You're… different."

They were now seated comfortably around a low coffee table in the airport customs office, Shimizu and Shouko on one side and Tsukimori on the other. Beyond the glass doors of the office, Tsukimori's avid fans squeezed past each other just to get a glimpse of him, and even a few press people had heard of his arrival and were now snapping pictures of his back, which was all the crowd could see.

"People change," was all Tsukimori said, focusing his attention on the magazine in his lap. Shimizu and Shouko waited for him to say something more, but he didn't say anything else. The silence dragged on.

Perhaps the transformation was incomplete?

"I'm terribly sorry for the long wait," the chief customs personnel said suddenly as he appeared before them, along with a young woman bearing a tray of cups and a teapot. "Please enjoy your tea."

"Thank you very much-"

"Sorry to bother you-"

"You're very kind-"

"It's nothing really," the man said, bowing. "It's an honor having you here with us."

The man and his assistant stood there for a while, watching their three guests sip their tea. Suddenly, the young woman, who had hidden her face behind her circular tray, elbowed her boss, who jumped in surprise.

"Aah, yes," he said somewhat irritably, rubbing the part his assistant had hit. "Tsukimori-sama, may I request one thing? Our, er, personnel are avid fans of yours, and, er, they were hoping they could get your autograph-"

He ceased talking, and looked towards the direction where a few office desks were positioned. Around the tables, a group of women were huddled in a tight group, whispering madly to each other and looking at the guests' direction. Shimizu smiled inwardly. They were in for a tough rejection-

"I don't see why not," Tsukimori said, surprising Shimizu and Shouko, so much that the latter even let out a shocked, "Ehhh?" Out of nowhere, another employee appeared bearing several notepads and a fountain pen, her head bowed extremely low as she handed the writing materials to Tsukimori. With uncharacteristic patience, the cerulean-haired violinist picked up the first of the pads, and, pausing, asked the chief personnel, "What should I write?"

"Please address it to Maki-chan of Saga-ken," a rather chubby woman said, suddenly appearing behind Shimizu and Shouko. "She's my younger sister and she's your number one fan!"

That initial request triggered many others. Suddenly, Shimizu and Shouko found themselves completely surrounded by customs personnel, some of whom were men, vying for Tsukimori's attention. They were also quite surprised when, after getting Tsukimori's signature, the customs people turned to them and bombarded them with similar requests for autographs.

"Ne, Shouko," Shimizu whispered to Shouko as he hastily scribbled a message on a sheet of ruled paper. "Why are they asking for our signatures as well?"

"I guess they think we're in league with him," Shouko replied in a low voice, before returning a notepad to its owner with a warm smile. "Or maybe they're doing it out of politeness?"

Finally, after the crowd inside the office had calmed down – as opposed to the one outside, which had gotten rather riled up for not being allowed to request autographs, too – all the employees stood behind their boss, looking very satisfied with the notepads they clutched in their hands. Shimizu and Shouko felt somewhat windswept, but Tsukimori looked as if nothing unusual had taken place.

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Tsukimori-sama," the chief personnel said, bowing deeply, his subordinates imitating his actions. "Please pardon our foolishness. It's not every day we get a chance to meet an international celebrity."

"You're too kind," Tsukimori said with a faint smile, pushing Shimizu and Shouko to the brink of their sanity. "I'm sure you receive several interesting visitors daily."

"Oh, but not all of them are as patient as you are," the man said, laughing heartily.

_Patient? _Shouko wondered.

_Is this a dream? _Shimizu asked himself.

For the second time, the young woman who brought the tea nudged her superior. Obviously irritated this time, the man shushed his subordinate, before turning to Tsukimori with a sheepish smile.

"Ahhh, Tsukimori-sama?"

"Yes?" the cerulean-haired violinist asked, looking up from the magazine which he had continued reading.

"I know we've requested too many favors already, but may we please have a group picture taken with you?" the man asked, bowing deeply, the employees behind him bowing their heads as well. Shimizu and Shouko checked Tsukimori's reaction.

_Don't tell me he's going to say 'Yes'?!_

At that precise moment, however, the glass doors of the office opened, and a group of people stepped inside. There were four newcomers: a woman and three men. Despite the fact that they looked rather harassed, most probably due to the rowdy crowd gathered at the doors, they all looked distinctly striking in their own right.

Among the three men, the tallest one with the blond hair was the most glaringly conspicuous. Wearing his casual clothes like a runway model, he stood out easily among the rest with his piercing blue eyes and his high cheekbones.

In total contrast with him was a rather short man with grey hair, his eyes green and oddly mesmerizing. Although he was nowhere near as fashionable as the first man, his outfit composed only of a simple shirt and jeans, he exuded an inexplicable charm, a boy-next-door appeal. Even his round, red cheeks and full lips gave his features added boyishness.

The last man seemed to be the leader-type, the way he moved with an obvious sense of pride, as though he expected ordinary people to fall at his feet. Despite his apparent attitude, however, or perhaps owing to it, he was obviously a chick magnet – his rough, bad boy look added to his aura of mystery. He was clothed in black from head to toe, his high-end shoes as shiny as his leather jacket. His eyes, too, were dark, as was his artfully windblown hair.

Unarguably the most interesting character in the group, however, was the woman who accompanied the three men; she was perhaps the most beautiful, most captivating person Shimizu and Shouko had ever met – and they had met a lot of attractive people. It was not her long, dark brown hair or her slender figure or her sophisticated little red dress that captured one's attention – it was her eyes, emerald green orbs framed with thick, dark eyelashes that fanned infinitely in all directions.

Shimizu and Shouko held their breath in unison as the four strangers advanced in their direction. Beside them, the customs people ceased breathing as well. Tsukimori, however, stood up and asked in a surprised tone, "Erika? What are you doing here?"

The woman, Erika, smiled and ran towards Tsukimori, throwing her arms around his neck. In succession, several things happened: Shimizu and Shouko said "Eeeh?!" aloud, the customs people gasped as one, the crowd outside stopped banging on the doors in shock, the security guards posted by the entrance froze, and the press took their chance for a split second.

After standing rooted to the spot momentarily, Tsukimori gently pried the woman's arms off his shoulders, and asked in a whisper, "What do you think you're doing?"

Erika frowned. "We don't see each other for a month and that's the first thing you say to me?"

"Len!" the man in the leather jacket exclaimed, breaking the awkward exchange. "Long time no see!"

"Makoto," Tsukimori acknowledged. "I see you haven't changed at all."

"It's only been a year, you weirdo," the guy called Takishima said, playfully punching Tsukimori on the arm. "It's not as if you're any different either."

_That's not completely true_, Shimizu thought as he observed Tsukimori interacting with his friends.

"I suppose you're right," Tsukimori agreed. "By the way, you haven't met each other yet. Shimizu, Fuuyumi," he said, turning to them, "these are Takishima Makoto-"

"Yo!"

"Oribe Heiji-"

The tall, blond man raised a hand and smiled.

"Sato Satoshi-"

"Yoroshiku," the shorter man greeted.

"And Sawajiri Erika," Tsukimori finished, motioning to the woman beside him, who bowed deeply to Shimizu and Shouko.

"These are Shimizu Keiichi and Fuuyumi Shouko," he explained to his friends. "We went to Seiso together. They're my kouhai in the music department."

"Aaah, right," Oribe said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "He talks about you all the time. Shimizu-san, you play the cello, right? Well, I play the cello, too!"

"Really?" Shimizu said, his eyes lighting up.

As everyone settled around the table, the customs personnel brought more tea, and the photo op idea was forgotten due to the arrival of the newcomers. Shouko, however, was struck by something she heard, something that nagged at the corner of her mind.

"Sawajiri-san," she asked suddenly. "How are you related to the incumbent prime minister?"

"Oh, he's my father," Erika said nonchalantly, accepting her tea.

"You're joking!"

"No I'm not," Erika said, laughing. "But it's okay, I understand why people don't know much about me. My father tries to keep it that way."

"It must be pretty interesting to have a father who's a politician," Shimizu observed.

"Not really," Erika said, playing with the rim of her teacup. "My father's always been overprotective, so he doesn't bring me along with him to political events. I really am rather sheltered for a prime minister's daughter."

"I see…"

There was silence as they sipped their tea.

"Sawajiri-san, may I ask another question?" Shouko said suddenly.

"Sure, go ahead, Fuuyumi-san."

"Well, er, are you," Fuuyumi trailed off, unsure of what to say and resorting to pointing alternately at Erika and Tsukimori instead.

"You're asking if Len and I are together?" Erika interpreted.

_Len?_

"Er, yes, I suppose…" Fuuyumi mumbled, suddenly shy.

Erika smiled. "We've been dating for almost seven months now," she replied happily. "In fact, it's almost our monthsary. You haven't forgotten, have you?" she asked Tsukimori suspiciously.

He only kept quiet, although he didn't react to oppose what she said.

Shimizu placed his teacup on the table and stared at Tsukimori. Of all the changes that he had seen in his senpai, this one was perhaps the most unexpected. Frowning slightly, Shimizu thought back to that afternoon, four years ago, when Tsukimori Len suddenly came home from Vienna and banged on his front door:

"_Shimizu, you have to help me!" a slightly deranged Tsukimori demanded. "Tell me where Kahoko is, I beg of you!" _

"_I'm sorry, Senpai," Shimizu said desperately, trying to pull the other man's hands off his collar, "but I… can't help you. I don't know where she is-" _

_There was a loud bang as Tsukimori punched the wall. _

"_Dammit!" he cursed in a low voice. It was the first and last time Shimizu had heard him swear. _

"_Tsukimori-senpai, I-"_

"_Don't!" Tsukimori said suddenly. "Please don't tell me something terrible happened to her…" _

_Listless, he slumped on the wall, head downcast, eyes closed. Fingering his collar, Shimizu slowly bent down to his senpai's limp form._

"_Tsukimori… senpai…" _

_And then he noticed a trickle of blood flowing from the other man's fist. _

"_You're… bleeding," Shimizu said, feeling a strange emotion called panic. "Wait here… I'll go get a first aid kid-" _

_As he stood up to get bandages, however, a cold hand closed upon his wrist. _

"_Don't bother with inconvenient things," Tsukimori said, his head still bent low._

"_But… your hand-" _

"_I don't care about my hand," Tsukimori said morosely. "I don't care about anything anymore…" _

"Keiichi?" Shouko asked, her voice sounding oddly distant. "Keiichi?"

Shimizu snapped back to reality.

"I'm sorry," Shimizu said, confused. "Did you say something?"

He found six pairs of eyes staring at him curiously.

"Didn't you say he falls asleep all the time?" Oribe asked Tsukimori.

"Yes, but he hasn't fallen asleep even once today…"

"It's because he's been taking medicine to keep him awake," Shouko explained. "When we started performing for Boston Phil, [5] Maestro Finn didn't like the fact that Keiichi kept falling asleep when we were having pre-performance discussions. So he recommended a good sleep doctor to Keiichi, and after being diagnosed as a narcoleptic, he began taking medicine. He hasn't had sleeping problems since…" Shouko finished, looking curiously at Keiichi.

"I see," Oribe said, staring at Shimizu suspiciously.

"Maybe he's had a relapse?" Sato suggested.

At that moment, the glass doors opened for a second time. The six people gathered around the table turned their heads towards the newcomers; Shimizu slapped his forehead.

In the excitement of seeing Tsukimori Len again, Shimizu forgot that he had informed their friends from Seiso about his and Shouko's homecoming. Originally, Shouko's plan was to surprise her high school friends by coming home without them knowing, but Shimizu, who wanted to surprise Shouko, hatched up a plan to surprise _her _instead.

Alas, the plan backfired.

Now, a breathless party of three men and five women stood before Shimizu and his companions, who had gotten to their feet in surprise.

"That's a really tough crowd, huh?" Hihara Kazuki observed, straightening his shirt, which apparently, had been tugged in several directions.

"Keiichi-kun and Shouko-chan must be very important people to receive so much security," Kobayashi Nao noted, brushing imaginary dust off her sleeve.

"They're doing well abroad, then?" Yunoki Azuma inquired, as politely as ever.

"I guess," Tsuchiura Ryoutaro mumbled in reply, distracted by his ripped sleeve.

"Which orchestra do they work for again?" asked a pretty, doll-like woman Shimizu and Shouko did not know.

"Boston Symphony," Takato Mio replied. "Although I think they're planning to return to Japan-"

"Um, guys," Nami said suddenly, seeing the people who were staring at them. "I don't think it's Keiichi-kun or Shouko-chan who's in need of protection."

As one, the newcomers turned their heads to a group of people they had not noticed. As recognition kicked in, Tsuchiura could be heard saying, "It can't be-"

Blinking rapidly, Oribe said, "Well, hello. You must be Shimizu-san and Fuuyumi-san's friends."

"Actually, we're his friends, too," Nami said, pointing to Tsukimori.

The violinist in question, however, was frozen on the spot, staring at the red-haired woman who was staring back at him, her mouth slightly open in extreme shock.

Oribe scratched his head, seeing an almost identical expression on Tsukimori's face. "Yes, of course."

"Eri-chan, is that you?" Mio exclaimed suddenly, her eyes widening at the sight of the pretty brunette standing beside Tsukimori Len. "Why are you here?"

Erika only smiled faintly in response.

"Do you know each other?" Nao asked, looking between Erika and Tsukimori.

Erika looked up at Tsukimori, who stared back at her with glassy eyes.

"Actually," Erika began, "he's my boyfriend."

The bouquet of roses in Hino Kahoko's hand fell to the ground.

"You said you didn't have a boyfriend," Nami whispered, too shocked to be accusing.

"Well," Erika said, looking straight into Kahoko's eyes, "I lied."

**Next: Konbini Confessions**

_As Tsukimori began to relax to her warmth, however, a memory assailed his senses. _

_Her face buried in his sweater, his arms wrapped around her tight. The wind blowing the cherry blossoms all over the place – like pink snow on an early April afternoon. He smiled and hugged her tighter; he felt her hug him back. A low bridge over a clear, calm pond inhabited by a multitude of white and orange fish. His grandparents' house. _

_Tsukimori Len opened his eyes. Slowly, he pulled Hino Kahoko away from him, and in a low voice said, "I'll take you back to Nao." _

**A/N: **

I'd like to explain myself to those who may find the new Tsukimori Len blasphemous. I realize that most people like him because of his mysterious, enigmatic aura, and now that I've partly taken that away from him (he smiles so generously now, haha) others may think it destroys his character completely. I thought about it though, and I realized that people _do_ change. Besides, I didn't mind writing off most of his 'aloofness' because, personally, his I-refuse-to-talk-to-lower-life-forms attitude isn't what attracts me; it's his repressed gentleness. And I promise you, that won't change.

Same thing goes for the other characters. They may also seem different from their original selves, but please humor me and just imagine they've transformed over the course of a few years. The things I like best about them, I'll keep – so no worries.

That's enough ranting for me. ::X Off to write Chapter 3! ::

**Revenge of the Footnotes**

[1] Taken from Ninomiya Tomoko's _Nodame Cantabile. _

[2] In the Philippines, TV stations also come up with movies, so I'll take that as a universal fact – though I'm pretty sure it isn't.

[3] Pitiful parody, I know. [For the record, I don't own _Hitman Reborn - _Amano Akira does_._] But if you'll notice, the cast and crew of _SS _are pretty familiar themselves.

[4] Fictional, I believe.

[5] Boston Symphony Orchestra. Considered one of the 'Big Five' American orchestras. Hope I don't get into trouble for referring to them here. I don't own them!!!


	4. Chapter 3: Konbini Confessions

**Bridging the Gap**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Chapter Three: Konbini Confessions [1]**

**A/N:**

This is another chapter adapted from my first [rejected] version of _BTG_; in the original, this scene is just a filler chapter and nothing important happens. But in this version, I added some important events involving certain blue-haired and green-haired guys. It also features a lot of distorted flashbacks so I think it'll be a bit more confusing than usual. I will, however, try not to complicate things too much; just please be wary anyway. Moving on, here it is! Chap the Third!

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own _La Corda d'Oro_; the whole concept belongs to Kure Yuki-sensei.

**Previously: **

**Chapter Two: Rubbing Elbows with Movie Stars **

_Erika looked up at Tsukimori, who stared back at her with glassy eyes. _

"_Actually," Erika began, "he's my boyfriend." _

_The bouquet of roses in Hino Kahoko's hand fell to the ground. _

"_You said you didn't have a boyfriend," Nami whispered, too shocked to be accusing. _

"_Well," Erika said, looking straight into Kahoko's eyes, "I lied." _

**Chapter Three: Konbini Confessions**

Hino Kahoko's sigh went unheard against the latest RnB tunes half the people at _Café Banzai _were dancing to. Staring at her from across the bar counter, Kobayashi Nao frowned and said, "Kaho, stop it. You know you have low tolerance for alcohol."

"Give me a break, Nao," Kahoko said, her head lolling. "It's only my second bottle."

"Your fifth, actually," Nao countered. "Look, why don't you just give that to me and-"

"No!" Kahoko cried aloud, swatting the hand that Nao extended towards the offending bottle. "No, Nao. For once in your life, just let me be…" she muttered, slumping forward, her forehead pressed against the cold bar counter.

Over her head, Nao turned to look at a group of people standing nearby. Takato Mio saw her worried gaze and, rather anxious herself, turned to their other friends.

"Don't you think we should bring Kaho-chan home?" she asked over the noise of the dance floor.

"But she refuses to cooperate," Amou Nami protested, massaging her temples in frustration. "You know how many times we've tried to unglue her from that stool? She's practically stuck to that thing-"

"I'm really sorry-" Shimizu Keiichi began to say before he was cut off.

"It's not your fault, Shimizu," Tsuchiura Ryoutaro said. "They would have met eventually. Whether at the airport or elsewhere, no doubt they would have seen each other again."

A thoughtful silence fell over the group, in perfect contrast to the party atmosphere around them.

"What's wrong?" Yunoki Azuma said, joining the circle with his fiancée as the last song faded only to be replaced with a faster one. "You all look so troubled."

"It's Kaho-chan," Hihara Kazuki said looking over to the bar counter, where Nao was now prodding Kahoko awake. "She hasn't left the bar since we came in."

"I see…"

"Minna-san," Fujioka Rumi said suddenly, "I know I'm not in the position to ask about such sensitive matters but… is there something going on between Hino-san and Tsukimori Len?"

The others looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

"Well, they dated for a while back in high school," Mio answered. "They were together for one year, I think, before Tsukimori-kun moved to Vienna to pursue higher studies."

"I think they maintained contact even after he left, but for some reason, they just broke up completely after a while," Nami explained.

"But why?" Rumi asked. "The distance?"

Again, the others confirmed each other's information via eye contact.

"We're not sure, actually," Fuuyumi Shouko said, hesitating. "Most probably the distance, but..."

"What we don't understand is why they broke up so badly," Nami supplied. "If they had indeed separated because of the distance, they wouldn't be so, er, antagonistic towards each other. I mean, until now, Kaho still refuses to talk about Tsukimori, and she freezes up at the mere mention of his name…"

"Not to mention, did you see the look on Tsukimori-kun's face when he saw Kaho-chan?" Mio added. "He looked really shocked and angry and… I don't know. I've never really seen so much emotion on his face before so I can't tell…"

For the nth time that night, there was silence as each on them contemplated on what Mio had observed. It certainly was very strange to see Tsukimori Len react so strongly and instinctively.

"Wasn't there also a time when Hino disappeared?" Tsuchiura said suddenly. "Right after graduation, she went of somewhere and didn't come back until a few years ago."

"Just last year, to be exact," Nami corrected.

"Where did she go?" Yunoki asked. "Didn't she say?"

"She said she was 'off to learn more about the violin'," Mio replied. "Just that for an explanation, and then she disappeared, only to come back years later without a reason for her absence whatsoever."

"Didn't you try to ask her about it?" Rumi asked.

Nami sighed.

"We've tried, believe me," she said, "but somehow, Kaho isn't the same as she used to be. She's more… restricted, careful. Sometimes," at this she turned towards the bar, where Kahoko's face was now propped up on her elbows, "I don't even know what's going on in her head anymore…"

Oblivious to the eight pairs of eyes that were staring at the back of her head, Kahoko sullenly looked up into Nao's face as the latter lectured about the dangers of drinking too much alcohol.

"Out of all the years that I've been running this bar," Nao was saying, her expression serious, "a week hasn't gone by without a fistfight in the vicinity. All because of drunkenness! I personally know lots of people who are decent when they're sober, but when they're intoxicated, they _completely _transform. Do you get what I'm saying? I'm taking this from you not because I'm a killjoy, but because I want to be a good friend. You got that? I care for you, that's why I'm going to interfere with your life, okay?"

But Kahoko wasn't listening. Her mind was floating up, up and away, to hazy thoughts of moments spent with the liar she thought was her friend.

"_Are you sure he's _the one_?" Kahoko asked, licking her rocky road ice cream. "I'm sorry, but you just sound so dead-set on him. For someone as attractive as you are, I'm sure there are other guys out there who'd die to have you as their girlfriend."_

"_I don't know," Erika said, taking careful sips of her slurpie. "But… I've never felt this way about anyone before. I just can't pull myself away. And I really think I'm the only one who can make him happy," she added, a shadow falling before her eyes. "When I remember his first girlfriend and all that she's done to him, I become even more convinced that it's my responsibility to make him smile again." _

"_It sounds as if you pity him," Kahoko said lightly. _

"_In a way, I do," Erika said. "No one deserves to be treated like that." _

_Kahoko kept quiet, staring off into space. _

"_You know sometimes we unintentionally do things that hurt other people?" _

"_That's not a good enough justification," Erika said. "It's just not right to dump someone who loves you so much – it's… not right." _

_Kahoko eyed Erika's hand, which was crushing the slurpie container. _

"_Um, Eri-chan," she said, pointing._

"_Ah! Gomen ne, Kaho-san, I didn't realize I was gripping it too tightly!"_

_Kahoko merely laughed. And then, sobering up, she said, "I'm sorry for not encouraging you enough, Eri-chan. It's just that… he doesn't sound like a good match for you. What if he never reciprocates your feelings?" _

_Erika only smiled. _

"_Don't worry, Kaho-san," she said. "I think I'm finally starting to melt the ice." _

Groaning, Kahoko let her head fall on the counter. _So much deception, and to think, she's already his girlfriend. His girlfriend!? _

_Why did she have to lie? _

"Kaho, are you all right??"

"I'm fine, Nao," came Kahoko's muffled reply. "I'm just getting up close and personal with your bar counter… It's really cool. Haha, get it? It's coooooool."

Nao smacked her forehead with her palm, but Kahoko did not see the motion. For the second time that night, she was floating away on a dream cloud, unaware of what was going on around her in real time.

_He stood before her, the sunlight pouring on his back, his expression inscrutable because of the sun's blinding glare. Somehow, even without seeing, she could feel that he was smiling faintly at her, his signature small smile that made her think he was enjoying some private joke at her expense. And although she loved it when he smiled at her like that, she could not help crying. The tears were rolling down her face one after another, and although she irritably flicked them away with an impatient hand, yet another batch followed._

_It was rather embarrassing to have him see her like this. _

_His cold hand touched her cheek, wiping away fresh tears that were threatening to fall. _

"_It's not as if I'm not coming back, you know," he teased, a rare occurrence. "Two years and we'll see each other again." _

"_Two years is such a long time," she complained, sniffing._

_He laughed, and she wondered how he could laugh in a situation like this. _

"_I think so, too," he admitted softly. "I'm sorry for making you wait so long." _

_Without warning, he grabbed her suddenly and pulled her into a tight hug. It was as though he had forgotten about everyone around them: his father, his mother, his grandparents, his parents' personal secretary, the people who were passing by with curious looks at the boy and the girl who were hugging in broad daylight as though the rest of the world did not exist. _

"_Len…"_

"_Kahoko," he whispered, lips pressed to her hair. "Don't forget your promise." _

_She closed her eyes, smiling, allowing herself to let go, to relax against him, and to forget about everything but this moment. _

"_I promise I won't forget," she vowed, wrapping her arms around him. "Promise me you won't forget, too."_

_He tightened his hold of her. _

"_I promise," was all he said. _

_For a while, they stood there in silence, their arms wrapped around each other, until she felt him let go. Shocked, she began to protest at the sudden, unwelcome release. But-_

_Surprising her for the second time that morning, he pulled her away from him, and in one fluid motion, kissed her before she could react. Just as she had closed her eyes, the feel of his lips disappeared, and with one last kiss on her forehead, she heard his footsteps fade away…_

_Yet she simply stood there, eyes closed, taking in the sound of airport noise - of scurrying feet, mixed conversations, and soothing announcements over the PA system – until she could feel his presence no longer. It was at that moment when she hesitantly opened her eyes._

_They had all gone. But she was not crying anymore. _

Kahoko stifled a sob.

"Kaho-chan," a familiar but oddly muffled voice said as she felt a warm hand on her back. "Kaho-chan, let's go home."

"No, I…"

Kahoko straightened up and whirled around. All of them were there, all eight of them with worried looks on their faces as though she was the most pathetic creature on Earth. She couldn't take it.

"I'll go buy toilet paper," she said suddenly, hopping off her stool and wobbling slightly, unsteady on her feet.

"Toilet paper…?" Nami repeated incredulously.

"Yeah, my apartment ran out of toilet paper," Kahoko replied, taking small steps forward. "My mother says it's never good to run out of tissues…"

And with that weird statement hanging in the air, she plodded towards the door of _Café Banzai_, leaving her friends staring at her.

"I'll go look after her," Tsuchiura volunteered, a worried look on his face.

"I'll go, too-"

"No, Hihara-senpai," Tsuchiura said, adamant. "If you go out there's a large possibility we'll be mobbed by your fans. You'd better stay here."

"We want to help, too," Nami said, Mio nodding fervently beside her.

"It's okay, I've got it," Tsuchiura said, smiling briefly. Before any of them could protest, he turned on his heel and ran out of the bar, trying to catch up to Kahoko.

At two in the morning, the street in front of _Café Banzai _was eerily deserted. Slightly shaken by the sudden drop in volume, Tsuchiura shivered, before scanning the area for a certain redhead. He saw her walking up ahead, her steps somewhat crooked but mercifully steady. Trailing her from behind, he stared at her bobbing head, and wondered what she could be thinking of at that exact moment…

Upon graduating from high school, Kahoko instantly disappeared, keeping only minimal contact with her family and friends. To her mother, she had given the same explanation Mio had received: that she was off to learn more about the violin. Even after she had gone off to God knows where, however, packages continued to arrive from Vienna – letters and chocolates and once, even a bouquet of roses. It was then that Tsuchiura decided to fully give up on her; if even time and distance could not break Kahoko and Tsukimori apart, who was he to mess up their lives?

After concentrating on the piano for a few years, Tsuchiura made a name for himself – but in the back of his mind, he never really stopped thinking about her. So when Nami called one day, after a long communication gap, bearing news that Kahoko had come back, he got on the next plane to Japan without hesitating. But when he saw her again, she was different. She was still beautiful, with the radiant smile she so generously offered to everyone, but the light had gone out from her eyes.

And she never played the violin anymore.

He had heard that she and Tsukimori had broken up. Whenever Tsuchiura had tried to ask about it, she would only smile and change the topic to safer ground. He supposed her sudden change in personality was due to the breakup, but could it have been so painful that she refused to talk about it even after several years had gone by?

Following her as he had always done, Tsuchiura wondered if she was still in love with him.

With her halting steps, Kahoko crossed the deserted street without incident, headed for a 24 hr konbini on the other side of the road. At the thought of a drunk Kahoko voicing out her apartment's need for more tissues, Tsuchiura paused on the other side of the street, laughing out loud to himself. It was then, between fits of laughter, that he saw a familiar face seated on a table inside the konbini.

Tsukimori Len had been too preoccupied with the beer can in his hand to notice the swaying woman who had just crossed the street in front of him. Drunk, and probably lost in her own muddled thoughts, Kahoko failed to notice his presence as well, such that she only walked on into the konbini without the slightest hint of hesitation.

Worried that a clash would happen if the two of them saw each other at close range – that among other things – Tsuchiura tried to follow Kahoko, but a hand on his arm stopped him. Turning around, he found himself looking into yet another familiar face.

"Don't you think we should give them time to talk?" said Sawajiri Erika.

XXX

He had been bumming around the konbini for close to an hour now; it was a miracle his friends had not noticed he was missing. Normally, they would pounce on him with their jokes and pranks, relying on his irritable nature to provide them with entertainment, but at that moment they were too busy having fun at a local nightclub to take advantage of his moody nature.

Not that Tsukimori Len minded, of course; it was actually a relief to be alone after such a harrowing day. Erika. His grandparents' anniversary. Herr Kristol. His upcoming world tour. There was so much that he had to think about, and still, at the back of his mind, her presence nagged like a bad bout of flu that refused to go away.

Kahoko. How inconvenient that they should meet again at the place where they last saw each other - under the most unfavorable circumstances, no less. Was fate always so cruel? How was it that he came to see her again just when he had stopped searching for her? Just as he was starting to recover?

Tsukimori started as he felt someone staring at him from behind. Turning around, he was shocked to see Kahoko standing there, beside the noodles aisle, staring at him with wide, unbelieving, slightly unfocused eyes, a roll of toilet paper on her hand.

"Kahoko," he said, mainly to himself, as he got to his feet. "What are you doing here?"

She blinked at him several times, and he realized she was drunk. "Nao runs a bar nearby," Kahoko said, pointing at a random direction. "_Café Banzai_, have you heard of it?"

He shook his head slowly.

"Of course you haven't," she chirped happily. "You couldn't have because you were in, hic, Vienna. Sorry, hic," Kahoko giggled, trying to hide her hiccup.

"You're drunk," he said. "Here, I'll walk you back."

Kahoko stared at the hand he held out before her, blinking rapidly.

"Len," she said in a soft voice after a while. "Why did you come back?"

Surprised, Tsukimori let his hand fall. He scrutinized the expression on Kahoko's face; she was patiently waiting for him to answer. Tearing his gaze away, he replied, "My manager has sent me on a 'vacation'. So I'm here to assist in the preparations for my grandparents' anniversary. Don't… get any ideas," he added, flushing slightly.

"I see, hic," Kahoko said, swaying slightly and hiccupping. "How long have your grandparents been together?"

"Fifty years."

"Fifty years, hic, is such a long time, hic."

Tsukimori did not reply. Instead, he merely stared at her, marveling at four years' worth of changes in her appearance. Her hair was still the same rich red color, although she kept it longer now, and slightly wavier, too. She had gained weight in just the right places, such that her curves showed even with the simple blouse and jeans ensemble she was wearing. Even her eyes looked different; they had lost their childlike twinkle, and now her gaze was hardened and rather calculating. But her lips did not change at all. Soft and warm and-

Tsukimori shook his head to clear such unnecessary thoughts. This was one reason he never drank too much beer.

"Hino," he spoke clearly, instructing himself to use her last name. "Please let me walk you ba-"

Tsukimori Len froze halfway through his sentence as she buried her head and hands into his coat. Stunned, he stood stock still, unsure of what to do, until his arms involuntarily wound their way around her shoulders and rested on her back. And then, simply because it felt like the right thing to do, he rested his chin on top of her head, just as he used to…

As Tsukimori began to relax to her warmth, however, a memory assailed his senses.

_Her face buried in his sweater, his arms wrapped around her tight. The wind blowing the cherry blossoms all over the place – like pink snow on an early April afternoon. He smiled and hugged her tighter; he felt her hug him back. A low bridge over a clear, calm pond inhabited by a multitude of white and orange fish. His grandparents' house. _

Tsukimori Len opened his eyes. Slowly, he pulled Hino Kahoko away from him, and in a low voice said, "I'll take you back to Kobayashi-san."

XXX

Across the street from the konbini, Erika and Tsuchiura stood in companionable silence, watching the conversation through the glass windows. After wrapping Kahoko in an embrace, it seemed Tsukimori had changed his mind and was now holding her at arms' length – literally.

For the first time since their chance meeting, Erika spoke.

"This is becoming more interesting," she observed, a finger tapping her chin. "I didn't expect this to happen."

Annoyed, Tsuchiura turned to her and asked, "Erika-san… You are Erika, right? I mean, you didn't lie about your first name as well, did you?"

"No," Erika said, turning to face him. "I didn't. I'm not so much of a liar as you think."

"Well then, answer me this," Tsuchiura ordered. "Just who are you and how did you and Hino come to know each other?"

Shifting her gaze to the konbini, where it appeared Kahoko had started laughing to herself, Erika replied, "We met at work. That's all there is to it."

Tsuchiura shook his head.

"I don't believe you," he scoffed, disgust evident in his tone. "You just saw your boyfriend hugging another woman and yet you still have the gall to talk to me and _lie_? Shouldn't you be racing across the street right now, slapping Hino to her senses or something?"

"Much too inelegant for my style, Tsuchiura-san," Erika replied nonchalantly. "I thought you, of all people, would understand how important it is for me to take care of my hands. Besides," she added, "I don't have to touch her at all."

"What do you mean by that?" Tsuchiura demanded, grabbing her wrist. "What are you gonna do to her?"

Flinging his grip away with remarkably strong force, Erika hissed in reply, "It is none of your business what I do with my life."

"I make it my business to interfere with people's plans to hurt my friends."

"If you don't want her to get hurt," Erika said, not backing down, "then keep her away from Len."

Satisfied to see a stunned Tsuchiura Ryoutaro, Erika turned on her heel and began to walk away, leaving her befuddled co-pianist staring after her. After a few steps, however, she whirled around, and with a singsong voice and a playful grin, said:

"Everyone deserves a shot at happiness, you know."

She continued to walk away.

XXX

"_Len, over here!" _

_Tsukimori Len turned an inscrutable face towards his girlfriend. Seeing the expression on his face, Hino Kahoko lowered her brand-new DSLR and pouted. _

"_How am I supposed to take pictures of you when you refuse to cooperate?" she mock-demanded._

"_You're not supposed to take pictures of me, you're supposed to take pictures of everything else," he pointed out. _

"_But I want to take pictures of you," Kahoko protested lightly, snapping a picture of him as he sighed. _

"_I got that for you so you could send me pictures-"_

"_While you're in Vienna, I know," Kahoko said. "I guess this is a gift to compensate the fact that you're leaving?" _

_He did not reply. _

_They reached a low wooden bridge hanging over a small, clear blue pond. Excitedly, Kahoko ran to the peak of the bridge and focused her camera on the school of white and orange koi in the water. He watched her contentedly, pretending to take interest in the fish as well, when in fact it was the smile on her face that he was really looking at. _

_From their position on the bridge, the image that stretched before them looked like a painting that had come to life. The sakura trees were blowing lightly in the mild April breeze, sending fragile pink petals dancing in the air. The pond, too, was beautiful in its tranquility; a few petals landing on its surface sent ripples across the water. Even the sky was a perfect, cloudless blue, as though the weather was celebrating this afternoon. Kahoko closed her eyes and smiled, thanking her secret angel for this unparalleled sendoff gift… _

At least he'll leave Japan with happy memories.

"_Kahoko," Tsukimori said suddenly. "Let's break up." _

"_WHAT?!" Kahoko shrieked. "You're breaking up with me?" _

"_No, no, I didn't mean it like that," Tsukimori said. Frustrated, he massaged his eyebrows and sighed. "I just don't want to tie you down while I'm not beside you- "_

"_Hey!" _

"_-so I want to give you the freedom to enjoy your life without any irrational limitations."_

"_Now, wait a minute," she demanded, grabbing his shoulder and forcing him to face her. "Do you really think I'm so fickle as to date every guy I see?" _

"_Long distance relationships are difficult to handle. I'm merely being practical."_

"_No, you're being pessimistic."_

"_What if you meet another man and fall in love with him?"_

"_I see. You've been watching romance films with your mother again -"_

"_Kahoko, listen," Tsukimori said, putting both hands on her shoulders. "In two years' time, the Contini International Music Festival will be held in Prague. [6] I plan to participate in it, and win it, so for the next two years I'll be focusing solely on my music. I don't want you to wait for someone who can't even reply to your calls, or be there when you need him most-"_

"_Tsukimori Len," Kahoko said sternly. "I don't care what you say, I'm not-"_

"_Two years," Len interrupted. "Just two years and I won't ask you to wait again. Meet me here in this exact spot exactly two years from now, and I'll take you with me to Vienna. I promise you that." _

_Kahoko sighed deeply. "But why do we have to break up…?"_

"_Kahoko, we're both very young, and what we feel right now may change when I leave for Vienna. In a few months, you could be dating someone else, and you may realize that you care for him more than you care for me."_

"_Are you saying this because you want to date other women?" Kahoko asked, on the verge of tears._

"_No," Tsukimori said firmly. "I'm saying this because I want you to be sure of what you feel. I want you to explore all other options, so that when you decide that you want to be with me, you're not halfhearted."_

"_But I _am _sure." _

"_I know," Tsukimori said lightly, wiping away the tears that had started falling from her eyes. "I know."_

_Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her. Sighing, he kissed the top of her head._

"_Even when I'm in Vienna, I will be here with you."_

"_So why are we breaking up?!" Kahoko demanded, breaking away from his embrace. "Why can't we stay the way we are now?" _

_Tsukimori gazed at her with twinkling eyes. _

"_Just humor me please," was all he said. "Look at it this way: you have an advantage. You can date other men temporarily, but when I come back, we can pick up right where we left off."_

_Kahoko mock-punched him. _

"_I'm not doing that," she said. "I'll still tell everyone I've got a boyfriend. I'm not telling them you forced me to break up with you." _

"_You agree to it then?" _

"_What choice do I have?" she said, frowning as she leaned over the bridge. "Just… promise me something as well." _

"_Equal exchange," Tsukimori noted, smiling faintly. "Let's hear it." _[2]

"_Don't play in any violin duets until I'm good enough to play with you." _

_Tsukimori fixed a steady gaze on her. _

"_I promise."_

"_Swear on it," Kahoko demanded, holding her pinky up. _

_Tsukimori merely stared at her finger._

"_What am I supposed to do?"_

"_For heaven's sake, are you even Japanese?" she exclaimed. Taking hisleft hand, Kahoko force-hooked his little finger with hers. _"If I lie, I will swallow a thousand needles. Cut your finger."

_As he stared from his hand to hers, Tsukimori's face broke into a rare grin. _

"_You're so childish, Kahoko," he said, leaning in to kiss her. _

"_Wait," Kahoko said, putting a hand up to stop him. "What if you don't turn up?"_

"_That's a pointless question. There's even a higher probability that it's you who won't turn up."_

"_Well then, what if I don't turn up?"_

_Tsukimori considered her expression with thoughtful topaz eyes. _

"_Then I will find you." _

_Feeling warm and fuzzy because of his answer, Kahoko closed her eyes and tiptoed as he closed the gap between them. She waited for a kiss… but it never came. Confused, Kahoko opened her eyes, shocked at the sudden change in scenery. _

_The bridge, the cherry blossoms, Len – everything disappeared to be replaced by a sinking, red sun falling into a sparkling dark sea. An endless stretch of grey asphalt lay up ahead, the path illuminated by a row of ugly white lamps. _

_She sat on the passenger's seat of an ordinary car, watching the darkness settling upon rolling hills through the window. To her right, at the wheel, a man with spiky red hair and sharp red eyes was humming an irregular tune, as though he was trying to come up with a proper melody but was failing at the attempt. Seeing her curious glance, he grinned widely at her and then laughed out loud. _

_At that moment, a shiny silver SUV cut from behind them, dangerously swerving and forcing their car to slow down. _

"_Jackass!" Kahoko's companion shouted at the offender, honking the car horn irritably._

"_Kiriya, stop it. Just let it go, okay?"_

_Frowning, Etou Kiriya sulked behind the wheel, muttering things under his breath. _[3]

_Kahoko sighed deeply._

"_Kiriya, listen. I-" _

"_If you thank me one more time I'm throwing you off the car," Etou retorted. "Honestly, Kahoko, how many times do I have to tell you that it was nothing? I enjoyed hanging out with you." _

"_You didn't, at first-"_

"_Well, first impressions don't always stick, as I've found out," he said, teasing. "I thought you had no future with the violin, but as it turns out you polish quite well." _

"_Er, thanks… I guess." _

"_Don't mention it," Etou mumbled, mainly to himself. Then, as a sort of afterthought, he added, "I liked having you around the house. I'll miss you when you're gone." _

_Surprised, Kahoko turned to look at Etou – his face was rather red._

"_Are you blushing?" Kahoko asked, finding herself grinning._

"_I am not!" _

"_Are too!" _

"_It's the sunset, baka!" _[4]

"_Yeah, right!" _

"_Kahoko, shut up," Etou said irritably. "I'm driving here." _

"_Hai, hai," Kahoko said, smiling as she fixed her eyes on the road. She looked up ahead just in time to see the SUV before them swerve recklessly for a second time, revealing a car that had stopped in the middle of the road. _

"_Kiriya, look out!!" _

_But it was too late. Etou swerved to avoid a direct collision, but nevertheless, their car banged into the other car and flipped over several times. _[5]

_The sound of tires screeching. Her hair slapping against her face. Someone screaming in terror. The world tumbled and spun in an explosion of color, leaving her numb but at the same time overwhelmed by a mass of conflicting sensations. A loud crash, a final moan. And then nothing…_

XXX

Kahoko's eyes flew open, her breathing labored and irregular. Feeling extremely disoriented, she put a hand up to her face, her fingers touching beads of sweat on her forehead. She exhaled and tried to steady her heartbeat, forcing herself not to panic. It took her a while to realize that it was only a dream. Everything was just a nightmare.

_Just a nightmare. _

Sitting up gingerly, Kahoko found herself inside a sparsely decorated white room, where the only pieces of furniture were the bed she had slept in and a long cabinet spanning the entire wall to her right. To her left were large glass windows, covered by immaculate floor length curtains.

_Where am I?_

Getting to her feet, Kahoko caught her reflection on the full-body mirror attached to the cabinet; her hair was a mess, her eyes were bloodshot, and she was still wearing her clothes from the previous night. More befuddled than ever, Kahoko pondered on whose dwelling this place might be. Surely it didn't belong to Nami, Mio, Nao or Shouko; Rumi and Yunoki were out of the question, too. That left behind only Shimizu, Hihara and Tshuchiura…

She knew the answer even before she caught the scent of fried rice wafting into the white bedroom.

Stepping outside the bedroom with hesitant steps, Kahoko saw Tsuchiura Ryoutaro standing in the middle of an impressive kitchen, wearing a blue apron and whistling gaily. Upon seeing his guest staring at him in utter fascination, he smiled.

"And good morning to you," Tsuchiura said. "Did you sleep well?"

"Uh, yeah, I did," Kahoko lied, laughing nervously. "This is your apartment then?"

"Yep! I've been living here for nine months now. I should invite you guys sometime…"

"Yeah, you should…" Kahoko agreed, walking up to the counter where Tsuchiura was frying yellow rice with various vegetable toppings. "How'd I end up here?"

Tsuchiura looked up from his wok and stared at her.

"You don't remember?" he asked. Kahoko shook her head slowly.

He frowned. "Well," he began. "You collapsed as you were buying tissues in the konbini. We couldn't find your house keys so we brought you here."

Kahoko groaned. "I understand_ that_, but why-"

"Did we bring you here?" Tsuchiura guessed her next line, transferring his completed dish on a large porcelain plate. "It was the nearest place, aside from Hihara-senpai's. But given Hihara-senpai's popularity…"

"You're famous, too," Kahoko interjected, sitting on a stool.

"I don't have stalkers," Tsuchiura said. "And the paparazzi don't find me half as interesting as they find Hihara-senpai."

He placed before Kahoko an assortment of dishes and a pitcher of orange juice. Nodding at Kahoko's nervous smile of gratitude, he took his apron off and proceeded to sit beside her. Tsuchiura, however, touched nothing of the food he cooked. He merely poured himself a glass of juice and stared at his guest, who was eating ravenously.

"So Tsukimori's back."

A fork clattered against a porcelain plate.

"Where'd that come from?" Kahoko asked him through a mouthful of rice.

"I was thinking of the paparrazi," Tsuchiura answered. "Tsukimori must be pretty high up there to cause as much fuss as he did the other day."

"He _is_ pretty big in the classical music scene," Kahoko mumbled, picking up her fork in slow motion.

"All because of the Contini Prize, huh?" Tsuchiura said thoughtfully. "I suppose winning something like that _is_ life-changing. Not to mention he was the first Asian under 30 to win first prize…" [6]

Kahoko shrugged noncommittally.

"So four years later, he's an international superstar. As expected of The Almighty Ice Cube," Tsuchiura said, laughing. Almost instantly sobering up, he said, "Ne, Hino, how do you feel now that he's back?"

Kahoko considered the question. "I'm happy for his success, and I'm happy that he's happy. I mean, he seems happy so I guess I should be happy for him, right?"

"You're babbling," Tsuchiura observed. He turned towards Kahoko such that she was forced to look up at him. "Look, I don't want to know how you think you're supposed to feel. I want to know how _you_ feel."

Kahoko groaned in frustration.

"I don't know, okay? If I'm happy or sad – what does it matter?"

"Do you still love him?"

Kahoko froze. "What?"

"Do you still love him?" Tsuchiura repeated his question.

"That was years and years ago," Kahoko replied evasively, standing up and walking towards the sink with her plate still half-full. "I don't have anything to do with him now."

"Kahoko-"

She paused upon hearing her first name, her back turned to him as she stood before the kitchen window. Somehow, she thought it sounded strange to hear him address her that way.

"Kahoko, I just want to know if you're still in love with him."

Looking through the window towards the skyscrapers outside, Kahoko thought it best to keep quiet rather than to lie. And so keep her silence she did.

"I thought so," Tsuchiura whispered.

Kahoko turned around. "Tsuchiura-kun, I-"

Her eyes widened as she felt his arms encircle her in a tight embrace. Unable to react, she merely stood there, shocked, as he held her small figure in his arms, his chin resting on the crown of her head.

"I… don't care even if you still love him," Tsuchiura said, voice low. "You said so yourself: that was years and years ago. You'll forget him soon enough."

"Tsuchiura-kun..."

"You'll forget him," Tsuchiura vowed with full conviction. "I'll make sure of that."

"No, you don't understand-"

"No, _you _don't understand," Tsuchiura said, loosening his hold on her and holding her at arms' length. "In high school, couldn't you see that I liked you? That we _all_ liked you?"

Kahoko flushed and looked down. "I did have a feeling…"

"And right now can't you tell that my feelings haven't changed one bit?"

Her head snapped back up. Tsuchiura was staring straight into her eyes, his expression determined and more serious than Kahoko had ever seen.

"I have always loved you," he confessed. "You're the reason I returned to Japan."

Kahoko blinked in quick succession.

"What?" she whispered in astonishment.

"Tsukimori got to you before I did in the past," he said, his gaze turning cold. "And that's why I had to give you up… But now, things are different," Tsuchiura said, finally letting her go. "I know it may all sound very straightforward and confusing, but I just wanted you to know that I'm serious about you, Kahoko."

Suddenly, she shook her head fervently.

"You don't understand."

"Then make me," he replied. "I'm a fast learner," he quipped.

At this, Kahoko slid towards the floor slowly, covering her face with her hands to hide the tears that were falling down her cheeks. Bending low to be at her level, Tsuchiura tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Won't you… give me a chance?"

**A/N:**

Writing Etou and Tsuchiura, I came to a conclusion that my subconscious transformed Tsukimori for the simple reason that I can't write him. I can't imagine cold, heartless, monosyllabic boys because the guys in my vicinity are all nice and gentlemanly and indubitably talkative "children". But, yes, yes, I'll try. (For the record, romance is murder. Every time I come up with a remotely cheesy statement, I grimace inwardly and I tell myself, for the nth time, that reading romance is faaaar easier than writing it. Or attempting to.)

I'd also like to apologize for my hair-kissing fetish. And my hair-tucking fetish, too. Somehow, I think both are sweeter than "a kiss".

**PS:**

I would like to thank everyone who's reviewed _BTG_ so far:

**FrozenRoseLady, PrayerSenshi, ariadne-chan, gizelle-chan, Chibi, **

**PurpleSkye, daintyran, tatam, Stellar24, silentglimmer**

Thanks so much for motivating me; I didn't think anyone normal would appreciate this warped story. I feel that I have to apologize though, because the plot I planned for _BTG_ is very very very long. But anyway, thanks so much.

If it's also not too much to ask, please check out my other _La Corda d'Oro_ fanfic entitled _La Noche Triste_. It's a Horror/Mystery thing – and I guarantee it will end much sooner than _BTG _will. In any case, it's much much shorter than this one. Its Prologue's up; succeeding chapters to follow soon.

Also, if you're into _Detective Conan, _I've recently come up with an idea for a CoxAi horror-mystery fic. Please check out _The Other Woman's Burden_; I'd appreciate it greatly. Thanks bunches! ::D

**Revenge of the Footnotes:**

[1] Konbini is the Japanese slang for 'convenience store'.

[2] Once again, I'm promoting _Hitoshii Kawase _by _ariadne-chan. _(Not that it needs it, but still.) I looked the title's meaning up on and "equal exchange" is the only translation that makes sense.

[3] Just to clarify, Etou Kiriya here is not Etou Kiriya in the original. He has the same "template", yes, but because this fic is based on_ Primo Passo_, canon-Etou Kiriya does not exist here. Simply put, he's just a guy with the same name and the same attitude, only without the original backstory.

[4] Paraphrased from Kudou Shinichi [_Detective Conan 11: Strategy Above the Depths_]

[5] Borrowed from _Disturbia _starring Shia LaBeouf. Can't find a good-enough vid, sorry!

[6] Nonexistent as far as I know.


	5. Chapter 4: The Uninvited

**Bridging the Gap**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Chapter Four: The Uninvited**

**A/N:**

Over the past week, I've been learning more about _Fullmetal Alchemist_. I've also been reading more fanfiction about it, and I have to say, most of them are very good. Nosebleed, tear-jerking good.

Anyway, regarding this chapter, it's not going to be very long – as a matter of fact, it's a bit useless, and I'm only writing it because it says so on my "cheat sheet". Again, this might be a bit confusing; but, as always, things aren't actually supposed to make sense _yet_. Enjoy! ::D

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own _La Corda d'Oro_; the whole concept belongs to Kure Yuki-sensei.

This fanfic is based on _Primo Passo_.

**Chapter Four: The Uninvited [1]**

"What's it like, Yui-chan, being surrounded by so many luminaries from the movie industry and the business sector?"

"It's the strangest, most exciting feeling, Moe-san. I feel so star-struck; Japan's who's who seems to have gathered at the FBC Tower Ceremony Hall tonight!"

"Do you mind giving us a rundown of the celebrities who have gathered there, Yui-can? Just to give our viewers an idea of how grand the occasion really is…"

"Well, there's Fujioka Rumi-san and Yunoki Azuma-san, of course; we're celebrating their engagement, after all. Their families are also here, headed by Fujioka Jin-sama of Fujioka Broadcasting and Yunoki Shizuka-sama of the Yunoki Group. Also present are Eiji-sama, the brilliant Akizuki Ran-sama, with the rest of the _Shattered Symphony _cast and crew… Notably absent, however, is Kahoko Hino-san, the musical director for this upcoming movie, who is currently linked to several prominent personalities."

"By these, you mean our very own Hizuki-chan and classical pianist Tsuchiura Ryoutaro-sama, right?"

"Precisely, Moe-san. If you'll remember, our _Primetime _entertainment team has exclusive photos of Hino-san and Tsuchiura-san emerging from _his_ house together last week; we also have pictures of Hizuki-chan and Hino-san holding hands while leaving the FBC Tower. [2]"

"My, my, this is rather shocking, Yui-chan. It's no wonder both men have been noticeably single all these years; they're vying for the attentions of the same girl!"

"That's not all, Moe-san. Reliable sources have informed us that Hino Kahoko-san was actually the first girlfriend of world-renowned classical violinist Tsukimori Len-sama, the first Asian under 30 to ever win the Contini Prize and champion of the recently concluded Bosch Festival for the Arts. [3]"

"You're sure about this, Yui-chan?"

"Definitely, Moe-san. The same sources tell us that the two had quite a messy separation, and until now, they still haven't achieved a much-needed closure. What makes matters more complicated is the fact that for _Shattered Symphony_, part of Hino-san's musical staff is Sawajiri Erika-san, daughter of the incumbent prime minister and _current _girlfriend of Tsukimori Len-sama."

"Again, to our beloved viewers, you heard it first here in _Primetime _with Etou Moe-"

Hino Kahoko turned the TV off and violently flung the remote control on the couch, beside her.

It was the evening of Yunoki-senpai and Rumi-san's engagement party, which was made an even grander affair by the fact that the couple chose the same night to launch _Shattered Symphony _as FBC's latest movie project. While Kahoko _was_ expected to be there, she had explained to her superior exactly why she shouldn't be.

"_Rumi-san, I'm sorry," Kahoko had said, bowing deeply. "I think I'll cause much trouble if I go to your engagement party."_

"_You're not trying to hide from the public, are you, Hino-san?" _

There are pictures of me coming out of Tsuchiura Ryoutaro's apartment plastered all over Japan's leading tabloids. Of course I'm trying to hide!

"_I just want to lie low for the moment, Rumi-san."_

_Fujioka Rumi looked at her musical director from behind her forbidding desk. Then, sighing deeply, she said, "All right, Hino-san. You may do as you wish. I was hoping you'd be there to celebrate with us though…"_

"_I wish you happiness, Rumi-san," Kahoko said, bowing again. "Thank you for your kindness." _

_Her head bowed, she turned to leave the room just as Yunoki Azuma walked in. For a moment, their eyes met, and Kahoko thought she saw a hint of contempt flash on his face. _

_He was practically calling her a coward. _

_She trained her eyes on the floor and moved forward. He didn't stop her. _

Kahoko sighed as she buried her face into the pillow she had been hugging. Things weren't supposed to be like this. When she had made it clear to Tsuchiura that she couldn't be with him, going as far as claiming that she didn't _want _to be with him, she thought she had saved him. When she rejected, outright, his request, that afternoon in his house, she firmly believed she was doing the right thing. But with those pictures…

Hihara-senpai's reputation, too, Kahoko felt she ruined. Although he had never verbally expressed whatever feelings he might have had for her (which Kahoko's friends had to speculate on for her to notice) she had always tried to stay away from him, to keep herself from leading him on. She had thought her tactic had worked, and now she believed them to share nothing more than the close bond of friendship but…

_Why do the media have to blow things out of proportion?_

And there was the issue with Len, too. She had told him, four years ago, that she would stay out of his life; likewise, he had promised he would stay out of hers. But he had broken his end of the bargain – why did he have to come back to Japan?!

As Kahoko sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that night, her senses dimly registered the sound of the doorbell ringing. Groggily rising to her feet, she ambled over to the door and, without peeping through the keyhole, opened it.

_Of all the uninvited-_

"Kaho-san, konbanwa!" Sawajiri Erika greeted happily, grinning a perfect, toothpaste-commercial worthy smile. "I hope you don't mind my barging in; I was worried about you."

"Somehow, I sincerely doubt that, Eri-chan."

"Oh, don't be such a pessimist, Kaho-san!" Erika chided, kicking off her shoes and sauntering in without being invited inside. "I thought you must be sick to miss such an important gathering, that's why I dropped by to bring you some oranges," she explained, settling a brown paper bag on Kahoko's dining table.

"Drop the act, Eri-chan. I'd really just like to hear the truth from now on."

"Why are you so irritable tonight, Kaho-san?" Erika asked with what looked like a genuine frown.

Kahoko sighed.

"Did you or did you not leak out information to _Primetime_?"

Erika settled comfortably into a seat, taking an orange and peeling it.

"_Primetime - _that show hosted by that abominable blonde-ish woman?"

"She has a name, you know," Kahoko said, taking a seat opposite her _guest_. "If you're going to leak stuff out to people, you should at least know their names."

Erika stared at Kahoko as she began to eat her orange.

"Is this about Len again?" she asked innocently.

"Stop acting so innocent, please!" Kahoko cried, banging her hands on the glass table and upsetting the condiments tray. "Look, I'm not in the mood to speak with you, so when you're done eating your oranges, would you please show yourself out?"

Moodily, Kahoko stomped off to her room, leaving a pensive Sawajiri Erika chewing away on oranges.

For what seemed like half an hour, Kahoko sulked in her bed, twisting and turning in the sheets, wanting to cry but telling herself it wasn't worth crying because of feelings she barely understood. Then, just as she decided what she needed was a hot, calming bath to facilitate her normal brain processes, a soft knock rapped on her bedroom door, and for the second time that evening, Sawajiri Erika waltzed into her line of sight uninvited.

"I'm leaving now," Erika said, not unkindly. "I thought I should at least say goodbye."

Kahoko blinked sullenly at the floor.

"I only ate three oranges, so there are a lot more left for you," the younger woman said brightly. "Oh, and my throat hurt after eating so many that I helped myself to some water. I hope you don't mind."

Again, Kahoko made no reply.

"Well then, I guess I should leave now…"

Footsteps clicked across the room before stopping beside Kahoko's bedroom door.

"For the record, Kaho-san, I've grown not to hate you," Erika said suddenly. "Before meeting you, I believed you were the most selfish, inconsiderate person on this planet, but now that I know a bit about you, I think I may have been wrong."

Surprised, Kahoko slowly lifted her head. Erika was holding her gaze, face serious.

"If you had done that to anyone else, I may have considered being your friend," she said. "But since you chose to pick on Len…"

Erika sighed. Smiling abruptly, she said a quick, "Good night" and left the room, the door loudly clicking shut as she closed it.

Kahoko stood in utter confusion for a several quiet minutes, thoughts of a relaxing hot bath erased from her mind. Once again, Sawajiri Erika had shocked her and left her confused, saying things that weren't unkind but didn't seem kind either. The weight of her words, most of which were things Kahoko wanted to say, too, but couldn't, left the listener more than a bit uneasy, for now Kahoko couldn't decide whether she hated Erika or didn't. Wouldn't it have been better for Erika to just hate Kahoko outright instead of both of them feeling undecided about the other?

_This frienemy status really isn't my cup of tea-_

For the second time that night, Kahoko's doorbell rang. Frowning slightly, she wondered if Erika had forgotten something, or if the latter had come back to take back her kind-unkind words and replace them with exclamations of sheer malice. Realizing she didn't want Erika to hate her either, and feeling even more confused because of it, Kahoko slowly walked towards the front door and opened it.

Kahoko blinked, unsure of what she was seeing.

Standing before her like a queen who had lost her way in an unremarkable, quiet apartment complex, looking for all the world like a fairy in her dark blue ensemble was a woman Kahoko had not seen in more than six years. Time had not changed her: the same peaceful smile was still there, the same mysteriously twinkling eyes.

"Kaho-san, hisashiburi," Hamai Misa said in her soft, soothing voice. "How have you been?"

"Misa-san…" Kahoko said, finding herself incapable of coherent speech.

"I'm sorry for dropping by so late at night…"

"No, no, it's okay, Misa-san, really," Kahoko said, half-energetically, half-groggily. "I'm just really quite… shocked is an understatement, actually. I didn't expect to see you..."

_Ever again_.

"I'm here to apologize to you, Kaho-san."

"Apologize?" Kahoko intoned, confused.

Hamai Misa smiled.

"I told that entertainment reporter that you were Len's first girlfriend," she explained, searching Kahoko's eyes for a reaction. "I'm afraid it's going to cost you, Kaho-san."

"You… what?"

Kahoko gripped the door for support. _It wasn't Erika all along???_

"But why, Misa-san, I mean-"

Kahoko scratched her temple in frustration.

"Why, Kaho-san?" Hamai Misa repeated, smiling faintly. With an amused expression, she watched Kahoko wait for her response with questioning eyes. "It's because I want you to win."

Kahoko blinked. "Eh?"

Hamai Misa laughed.

"You haven't changed at all, Kaho-san," she said, slapping Kahoko's shoulder playfully. "If it's all right with you, I'd like to talk about some things. Do you mind if I come in?"

**A/N:**

Okay, it wasn't that short. But if you compare it with the other chaps… 0.o

I'm not sure I did Hamai Misa's character justice. Somehow, I keep confusing her with Lelouch's mom from _Code Geass_. Please tell me what you thought of her? ::)

Also, sorry for the whole Kahoko "frienemy thoughts filtering" part. I couldn't explain it, but I hope you understood somehow.

**PS:**

Again, thanks to everyone who's reviewed this! I love you guys! ::D

**Revenge of the Footnotes:**

[1] The Uninvited. Isn't there a horror movie with the same title? Felt like referring to something "horrific" because I've been writing a lot of horror lately – and I'm lovin' it! (And yes, this is shameless promotion for my other fics _La Noche Triste _and _The Other Woman's Burden_.)

[2] Pictures of Hizuki & Hino. I doubt you remember, so let me refresh thy memory: In chapter one, Hihara takes Kahoko's hand and leads her through the crowd of media personnel that has gathered in the lobby of FBC after the power failure. (Of course, last chapter featured Kahoko staying over at Tsuchiura's.)

[3] Bosch Festival for the Arts. Something I invented to bolster Len's resume.


	6. Chapter 5: Chance Encounters

**Bridging the Gap**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Chapter Five: Chance Encounters**

**A/N:**

Major change for this story: The Ojousama shall now be called **Sawasaki Erisu** - after Eris, the goddess of chaos._TsukiHino4ever_ has confirmed my worst fears: Sawajiri Erika is an actual celebrity, starring in the hit Jdorama _One Liter of Tears_. I don't want to be sued, so I'm changing Erika's name from this point onward.

Also, I'd like to recommend the Taiwanese movie _**Secret **_starring Jay Chou_**. **_Set in a music high school in a quaint little town, it tells the story of two talented young pianists who fall in love with each other. Recommended if you're addicted to _La Corda d'Oro_. ::D

Aaaaand here it is! The story, finally! This is going to be loooooong.

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own _La Corda d'Oro_; the whole concept belongs to Kure Yuki-sensei.

This fanfic is based on _Primo Passo_.

**Previously: **

**Chapter Four: The Uninvited**

"_You… what?"_

_Kahoko gripped the door for support. _It wasn't Erisu all along???

"_But why, Misa-san, I mean-"_

_Kahoko scratched her temple in frustration._

"_Why, Kaho-san?" Hamai Misa repeated, smiling faintly. With an amused expression, she watched Kahoko wait for her response with questioning eyes. "It's because I want you to win."_

**Chapter Five: Chance Encounters**

For the nth time that afternoon, Hino Kahoko checked her wristwatch, frowning.

It was 2:17 in the afternoon, the sun shining on full blast in the pale blue Osaka skyline, the wind creeping lazily along the platform where she waited. Her train had arrived more than thirty minutes ago, an early afternoon trip from Tokyo via the _shinkansen_, and the Aozu Villa representative was supposed to meet her upon her arrival. [1] Among the dozens of passengers who crowded the area, however, no one seemed to be expecting her – everyone seemed to be rushing somewhere else.

Tired from her long ride, her exhaustion intensified by the mass of humanity gathered at the station, Kahoko sat in an al fresco café, watching the rest of the world breeze by over the rim of her steaming coffee cup. Before she knew it, she had unwittingly lapsed into memories of an evening she had been reliving over the past month, a frown forming on her face as she remembered her conversation with Hamai Misa.

"_Erisu-chan is nice and charming, and I can see she loves Len very much," Hamai Misa said, swilling the last of her tea. "But regarding who Len likes better between the two of you…"_

_She paused, turning her amused gaze at a flustered Kahoko._

"_I daresay his feelings from four years ago haven't changed one bit," she concluded. "Not that he cares to admit it, of course…" _

"Ano- Hino-sama? Is that Hino-sama?"

Kahoko started, her lifted coffee cup wobbling slightly due to her surprise. Before her, standing against the blinding sunlight, was a portly man wearing crisp, neat clothes, a plain hat in his hands. As Kahoko turned to look at him, he smiled even wider.

"So it is!" he cheered before bowing deeply. "Hino-sama, my name is Morioka, the Aozu Villa representative. I sincerely apologize for the delay."

"It's nothing, Morioka-san," Kahoko said, standing up. "I enjoyed my coffee, anyway."

Laughing nervously, scratching his nose as he did so, Morioka explained, "The van broke down, you see. It took me an hour or so to get it repaired…"

"No, no, I really don't mind, Morioka-san," Kahoko said, waving his apology aside. "Although I do believe we should be heading towards the villa now, seeing as my boss is anxious to get this matter finalized."

"If you don't mind, Hino-sama, there is someone else we must look for," Morioka said, looking deeply apologetic. "The son of the villa owner has come from Tokyo, boarding the same train you did. I believe you will be arranging the particulars of the deal with him."

"But I thought you were the manager?" Kahoko wondered aloud, too surprised to be polite.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken, Ma'am," Morioka said, chuckling deeply. "I'm just the caretaker. The Tsukimoris own and manage Aozu."

"The… Tsukimoris?"

"Yes, and I do believe Len-bocchama is around here somewhere," Morioka answered distractedly, scanning the crowd on the platform. "It might be a bit difficult to find him, as I've been told he travels in disguise…"

Oblivious of Morioka, who was now walking along the platform, searching for Tsukimori, Kahoko felt a wave of heat creep up her neck.

_What. On. Earth?!_

"Hino-sama, is something wrong?" Morioka asked, turning to Kahoko with a worried expression.

"Um…"

Was Kahoko supposed to run and hide, or maybe even get on a train back to Tokyo? If she reneged on this meeting, Fujioka Broadcasting and Morioka would get into trouble. But by all means, she had to avoid seeing Len. She didn't want to know what she was capable of saying if she was forced to talk to him…

"Actually, Morioka-san, I-"

"Morioka-san?"

The short, chubby man brightened upon seeing someone behind Kahoko.

"Len-bocchama," he greeted warmly, walking past Kahoko. "Hajimemashite! I am Morioka from Aozu. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Your mother talks about you very often."

"No doubt," Kahoko heard him say in a monotone, albeit without the usual chill. "Shall we leave then?"

"Aaaah, first I'd like you to meet the representative of Fujioka Broadcasting," Morioka said. "You might not recognize her because she's in disguise just like you are, but Hamai-sama tells me you're old friends…"

Biting her lower lip until she felt it would bleed, Kahoko turned around in slow motion, keeping her eyes glued to the concrete beneath her feet.

"Konnichiwa," she muttered with a slight bow, stealing a glance at his face.

Tsukimori Len, in dark sunglasses and a gray business suit, stood frozen a few paces before her, shock written all over his face. Lips parted slightly in surprise, he unconsciously held a hand up to remove his sunglasses.

"Hino?"

XXX

"I'm very sorry for the mess I've created, Morioka-san."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Len-bocchama," Morioka countered with good grace. "How were you supposed to know that removing your sunglasses would cause so much chaos?"

"It happens most of the time, you see."

"Oh, it does?" Morioka asked in surprise, eyebrows rising comically. "It's hard being famous, I suppose?"

Tsukimori slowly looked out the window before answering.

"It's a small price to pay for having my music appreciated," he replied lightly. "Most days, I don't mind."

Kahoko frowned impetuously as Morioka chuckled at Tsukimori's response. Tuning out the older man's next statement, clearly meant to produce some semblance of warmth in the van, she put a hand under her chin and looked out the window.

They were driving through a dense, tree-topped forest, sunlight slipping in sparkles through the canopy above them. Morioka was driving, now chatting animatedly about the peculiarities of rural life. Tsukimori was sitting in the passenger's seat, listening to Morioka's stories with polite interest. Kahoko, meanwhile, had the entire backseat to herself, and she chose a position farthest from the passenger's side, keeping her face averted, her eyes watching the foliage flit by, unseeing.

There was a 99.9% possibility that Hamai Misa was behind this scheme. Kahoko could not brush off the older woman's surprise visit as something coincidental, and ever since, she had become wary of suddenly being pitted together with Tsukimori. But a month had passed since that incident, and perhaps her guard had fallen without her realizing it? Nevertheless, the plan had been a very devious, stealthy one – Kahoko could barely imagine how Hamai Misa had coerced Fujioka Rumi into playing along.

"_Why me?" Kahoko heard herself ask. "Don't we have location managers for things like that?"_

_Fujioka Rumi, poring over the papers piled on top of her mahogany office desk, distractedly replied, "Everyone else is busy rushing things. You're the only one with nothing else to do."_

"_Erm, what about the orchestra scene?" Kahoko asked, trying to poke her way out of the assignment. "If I leave, who's going to tell them how the music should be played?"_

"_They have a conductor, you know," Rumi replied, slightly irritated. "And don't try to wiggle your way out of this; I've already informed Aozu that you're coming."_

_Kahoko tried very hard not to groan aloud. Rumi stared at her through narrowed eyes._

"_You do remember you owe me for not attending my engagement party?" _

"_Yes, yes, I know," Kahoko replied, sounding very much like a little child. "I'm just not used to things like this… What am I supposed to do again?" _

"_Survey the place, smoothen the agreement," Rumi replied, bending over to sign one of her papers. "Accounting will give you the contract details, all you have to do is bring it there and have them sign it. Also, make sure everything is set for our scheduled shooting date. We'll follow after two days." _

"_So I'll stay there for two days alone?" Kahoko asked, puzzled. "Can't I go back to Tokyo after the contract signing?" _

"_You'll be in a villa, for crying out loud, find something to occupy yourself with," Rumi said offhandedly. "Go scuba diving, explore the woods, take a hike, or something-"_

Kahoko sighed. Get-stuck-with-the-guy-you're-hiding-from had never been one of the options.

She stole another glance at Tsukimori; from where she sat, she could see him perfectly. He was staring up ahead, sunglasses discarded, face impassive. Kahoko could tell, however, even without asking him, that he was not happy about this arrangement as well - although he hid his resentment considerably better than she did. As she began to wonder how _he, _of all people, got tricked into this predicament, Tsukimori suddenly blinked, and met her gaze.

He was staring at her so intently, with eyes so direct that she could practically see herself reflected in his irises.

"Ahhh, curses," Morioka cried, surprising Tsukimori and Kahoko. As both turned their eyes towards the older man, to see what fresh catastrophe had taken place, the van lurched, followed by the engine spluttering, before they came to a full stop.

"What just happened?" Kahoko asked, breaking the silence that followed.

"I think the engine died," Morioka replied, unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the car. "_Again_."

Panic began welling up inside Kahoko's chest as Tsukimori went after the older man, who was now bending over the hood. Scratching her temple in frustration, she prayed her worst fears would not be realized, and got out of the car just as the men opened the hood.

A black cloud of smoke billowed out.

"I'm afraid we can't drive on in this," Morioka said, fanning the smoke away from his face. "It's worse than what happened earlier. I don't understand how this is possible – the car's barely a year old!"

Kahoko sighed, as Tsukimori suggested, "Why don't we wait for other cars to pass by? Perhaps we can ask them to assist us."

"That won't do," Morioka replied, shaking his head. "This is a private road leading to the villa - only guests use this road. And given that FBC has booked the entire place for the next two weeks…"

"We can't expect anyone to drive by," Kahoko supplied. "So are we going to walk the rest of the way?"

"It's a very steep climb, Hino-sama," Morioka said. "I doubt you could manage it in those shoes."

As one, the three people gathered looked at Kahoko's feet, which were wrapped in five-inch heels.

"Of course I can manage," Kahoko said defensively. "I walk a lot-"

"You're prone to blisters," Tsukimori interrupted. "Don't push it."

Reddening, partly from Tsukimori's implication that she was delicate and partly from the fact that he remembered how bad her blisters could be, Kahoko kept her face directed to the ground, a strange buzzing filling her ears. Vaguely, she heard Tsukimori say, "I'll walk the rest of the way then. You can stay here with Hino-san, Morioka-san."

"Aaah, but you've never been to the villa before, Tsukimori-bocchama," Morioka replied, rather sheepishly. "There's a large possibility you'll lose your way in these woods."

Kahoko looked up just in time to see Tsukimori's eyebrows twitch. Resisting the wild, abrupt urge to laugh, she turned her attention to Morioka. Upon seeing the eerily calm expression that graced his features – making him look half-priest, half-criminal mastermind – Kahoko was struck by a sudden realization.

"Morioka-san, are you-?"

"I'll go," Morioka offered. "Please wait for me here. I'll be back in an hour or so."

As Kahoko opened her mouth to protest, Tsukimori sighed and said, resignedly, "Very well. We'll wait inside the car, Morioka-san."

With a quick bow, Morioka sped off, too fast for Kahoko to chase after. Eyebrows furrowing, she stood in the middle of the forest road, watching the old man's retreating back, wondering if he was acting under Hamai Misa's orders.

"Let him go," a cool voice said from behind her. "His reasoning makes sense, anyway."

"Speaking of which," Kahoko said, whirling around with uncharacteristic force. "How is it possible that you've never been to your own villa? Where do you go for vacations?"

Tsukimori considered her before answering.

"The villa is a recent purchase," he replied. "My mother bought it after I left for Vienna. She said she wanted to find something to turn her attention to, since I was gone."

Seeing something odd flash before Kahoko's eyes, he sighed and said, "We should get back to the car. It won't do to stay out in the cold-"

He stopped, seeing that Kahoko was stomping away.

"Hino, where do you think you're going?"

_As far away from you as possible_-!

"I'm going for a walk," she replied, not bothering herself to look back. "If you wish, you may join me – just stay twenty steps behind me at all times."

_It's better than getting stuck in a car with you, anyway. Anything is._

"Still so stubborn," she heard him mutter, before the sound of his footsteps, crunching fallen leaves, came after her. "And moody, too."

Ignoring his comments, Kahoko walked on, the late October chill creeping up her skin. Feeling pensive, she lifted her gaze towards the canopy of trees, watching the last of the more persistent leaves swaying against the late afternoon breeze. The mountains, in the fall, were beautiful. There could be no better location to shoot the most heartbreaking scene of _Shattered Symphony _– when Karina lies to Toushirou, telling him she doesn't love him at all. As she recalled the lines from the script, Kahoko was filled with sadness and a sense of nostalgia, intensified by the dull roar of the cold wind…

_You're intoxicated with the idea of what can never be~_

_Who says it can never be? Who says _we _can never be?_

_You…! Stay away! I don't want to be anywhere near you-_

_And why is that? _

_Because I HATE you-_

_No, you don't hate me. In fact, you're in love with me. Go on, admit it! You're so in love with me that you can't stand being around me and yet not _being_ with me. I know what you're thinking, Karina. I can see it in your eyes, plain as day-_

_Just shut up and get out of my life!_

_No, I will NOT shut up and get out of your life until you look straight into my eyes and tell me you don't love me._

…

_I Don't Love You_

…

_I don't believe you at all._

Kahoko snorted. The first time she had read those lines, she thought she would double over and vomit, Mio's best friend or not. But now, as she walked along this tree-lined path, replaying the same lines in her head, replaying a similar conversation that had taken place so long ago…

How she wished he had said _I don't believe you at all… _

"I'm sorry you got dragged into this."

"Hm?" Kahoko asked, mind partly floating in the clouds. "Sorry, what was that?"

Tsukimori sighed.

"I'm sorry you got dragged into this," he repeated. "We both know my mother is behind this plan. I've never told her about our agreement, so she doesn't know when to keep her nose out of things…"

"I have a feeling it was better that you didn't tell her about our agreement."

"That _is_ true," Tsukimori agreed. "But I'm entertaining the possibility of her staying out of this when she finds out. Highly improbable, but…"

_Erisu-chan is nice and charming, and I can see she loves Len very much-_

"She fooled me into taking this job. I had told her I needed to get some fresh air, to get out of Tokyo for a while, and she recommended that I stay in the villa for a few weeks…"

_But regarding who Len likes better between the two of you…_

"And right after I had agreed, she added that I would have to meet a client in return. That I'd pay for the villa expenses by managing it. Of course, I didn't know she would be referring to you…"

_I daresay his feelings from four years ago haven't changed one bit._

"Hino? Are you listening to me?"

Kahoko turned around, too abruptly that she lost her balance and tilted backwards, threatening to roll off the mountain edge. With surprisingly quick reflexes, Tsukimori tried to steady her, but upon sensing his approach, she stepped backwards farther, until she felt the sudden change in the ground's slope.

Gasping in surprise, she dimly registered the sudden change in Tsukimori's expression – from passivity to heightened alarm. As she fell, her back hitting nothing but the wind, a cold hand gripped her wrist.

It was the last sensation she remembered before she passed out.

XXX

"Owwww-"

As Hino Kahoko's senses began to kick in, the pain in her backside magnified tenfold. Massaging her sore joints, she straightened up slowly, vaguely aware of a jacket falling off her shoulders and into a heap in her lap. Opening her eyes blearily, the first thing she saw was a mass of grey cloth before her. Then, her eyes were captured by the flames of a merrily dancing bonfire. Finally, she found herself staring straight into a pair of deep topaz eyes, which were observing her quietly from across the other side of a small, dark enclosure, passive and emotionless.

"Len?"

In a flood of memories and sensations, her fall from the mountain edge came back to her with the force of a tidal wave. Abandoning all complaints of aching joints and a sore backside, she flung the jacket aside, and dashed towards him.

"Your hands, are they all right?"

Filled with panic, she took his both of his hands and inspected them thoroughly. The fingers were significantly dirtier than usual, littered with soil and traces of leaves, but there were no wounds, nor blood. Sighing in relief, she let their joined hands fall, settling over her lap.

As soon as she realized the implication of her actions, she quickly stood up, her head almost hitting the low ceiling.

"I-I'm sorry," she said, blushing furiously. "I didn't mean to be so forward."

Sighing deeply, Tsukimori looked away and said, his cold voice echoing across the cave, "Let's wait for the rain to stop before heading back."

Following his gaze, Kahoko saw the mouth of the cave, curtained with streams of raindrops. It was raining cats and dogs outside, and the sun was beginning to set.

The worst case scenario.

Feeling depressed, Kahoko sat beside Tsukimori, aware of the fact that they were barely two feet away from each other. At that moment, however, she was feeling too miserable to care about their agreement, or the surprised look Tsukimori gave her, or the fact that he had a girlfriend, who was also _her _friend, sort of, waiting back in Tokyo, oblivious. All she knew was that sitting beside him felt like the right thing to do, that sitting beside him was what _she_ wanted, that sitting beside him was harmless anyway…

She entertained herself by staring at the fire.

"You think Morioka-san is in on this?" she heard herself ask.

"You don't ask the obvious."

"Hmmm," Kahoko said, poking the bonfire with a short twig. "I suppose you're right…"

Oblivious to Tsukimori's worried stare, she added, offhandedly, "Were you being honest when I asked you why you came back?"

Tsukimori frowned.

"I told you, didn't I?" he replied monotonously. "I came back for a vacation."

"Because your manager told you to?" Kahoko asked, eyebrows rising. "I'm not buying that. You're not the type to let anyone force you into doing things."

Tsukimori surveyed her with quiet, pensive eyes.

"I…"

Abandoning her twig, Kahoko looked up at him curiously.

"You what?"

Tsukimori hesitated, then motioned as though he was about to say something that affected him deeply.

"Tsukimori-bocchama!"

Tsukimori froze, eyes darting towards the cave entrance. Instinctively, Kahoko turned as well, seeing a group of raincoat-clad people ambling over to where they were.

"Tsukimori-bocchama, Hino-sama, is that you?" the man in the forefront inquired. "Thank goodness you're all right! We thought you had rolled all the way to the bottom!"

"Ah, well-"

"How did you roll off the mountain, anyway?"

"I'm afraid any catastrophe is possible when I'm around, Morioka-san," Kahoko replied, laughing hesitantly.

At that moment, Tsukimori got to his feet and began dusting himself, ignoring Kahoko's curious eyes. Wordlessly, he offered his hand to Kahoko, who stared at it for a few seconds.

Suddenly, she was overcome with the urge to discover why he was back in Japan.

"How long are you planning to squat there?"

Frowning, Kahoko glared at him, slightly taken aback by the hint of amusement that was glinting in his eyes. Frowning even deeper, she took the hand he offered, and slowly raised herself up.

The next two days were bound to be miserable.

XXX

Later that night, Kahoko collapsed into her bed in the east wing of Aozu Villa, exhausted and slightly drunk. The surprise welcome dinner for her and Tsukimori had lasted all night, and it seemed everyone from within a hundred-kilometer radius had dropped by the villa to catch a glimpse of Hamai Misa's son.

Throughout the very lengthy, very noisy dinner, Tsukimori Len had been very accommodating and relaxed, a persona Kahoko was not used to seeing. Although he admittedly talked very little, and barely took on an expression past that of polite civility, she had seen him smile briefly as he was handed his eighth cup of sake, apparently amused at the intoxicated Morioka.

Needless to say, he had changed much. It seemed Vienna, perhaps even Erisu, had done him well.

Deciding tonight was eventful enough to record, Kahoko got up and walked over to her suitcase, taking a thick, leather-bound diary from among her belongings. Sitting on the edge of the bay window, the page before her illuminated by the full moon, Kahoko flipped to the last page of her journal and paused.

She realized she didn't feel like writing. Writer's block or whatever it was.

Sighing deeply, her head pounding with the aftereffect of alcohol, she slammed the journal shut. Then, changing her mind abruptly, as tipsy people are wont to do, she flipped it open again, shuffling through the pages until she was back to the first one.

_It has been eight months since the accident. Still, my hands refuse to move. _

The entry had been written one October evening, four years ago. Kahoko closed her eyes, remembering her pristine white bed, the view of the seashore from her tiny window, the smell of alcohol wafting in from Kaji-sensei's makeshift emergency room.

And then, of course, there was the man himself, kind and compassionate, holding her hand as silent tears flowed down her face.

Kaji Aoi. Without that man, she would not have been saved. [2]

Forcing her eyes open, Kahoko turned towards the page again, reading in the moonlight.

_19 October_

_It has been eight months since the accident. Still, my hands refuse to move. I can't play as I used to. I can't write as I used to. Right now, I consider my hands dead. _

_This morning, Kaji-sensei gave me this journal to practice with. He said I needed to exercise my hands to get them moving properly again. Although I believe my chances of playing the violin again are slim, he tells me to have faith – someday I will be able to play again. _

_He also says that he's going to take me to Tokyo as soon as I can walk. We are going to have my CT scan taken there, because the facilities in Mizuide will not be able to tell what is wrong with me. Even I don't know what is wrong with me._

Kahoko frowned as she read that last sentence. Not wanting to remember her state of helplessness, she flipped forward a few pages, to an entry written some days before Christmas.

_22 December_

_Kaji-sensei and I are currently in Tokyo, and I have just taken the CT scan at Tokyo General. Earlier this afternoon, after we got back to the hotel, I dialed the number Len had given me if I wanted to contact him in Vienna. I realize it's been months since we agreed to meet in that park, but I think he'll understand if I explain things to him well enough. After all, it's not everyday your girlfriend gets involved in a devastating car accident, right?_

_It was not Len who picked up the phone. The man on the other line said his name was Makoto, that he was Len's friend from school, and that he and their other friends were watching over Len's apartment while he was celebrating Christmas in Japan. He asked who I was, but I didn't tell him. I doubt he knows about me anyway._

_I told Kaji-sensei about the call, and because he knows how anxious I am to see Len, he offered to accompany me to Yokohama. At first I was hesitant – because what if someone I know sees me on the streets, hanging on to a dashing blond guy? I can't just say, I got into an accident, so I can't walk properly, and because I don't want to use crutches, I've taken to holding on to my physician for dear life. In the end though, my desire to see Len won out, so Kaji-sensei and I, we hopped into a taxi and went to Yokohama. I swore I would pay him back after the whole mess cleared up. _

_When we got to Len's house, we snuck in through the back door – just as Len and I used to in high school when we didn't want to be seen by Misa-san. The Tsukimoris seemed to be hosting a grand celebration, judging from the lights in the garden, but everyone was inside. From beside the swimming pool, I could hear the sound of Len's violin – and I knew it was him because only he could make a sound like that. _

_He wasn't playing alone though – in fact, he was playing second fiddle to someone else's violin. The first violin… wasn't very good. She could play, sure – and I know it was a girl because her playing style was too soft to belong to a guy – but she couldn't play well. _

_Maybe I'm just biased though. Maybe I'm just mad because, after all, he did promise me he wouldn't play any violin duets until I was good enough to play with him. _

_And may I just say he said he would be concentrating on his music? What was he doing playing the violin with some other girl? _

_When the song ended, something obscure I've never heard of, Kaji-sensei said we should probably go in and say hi. But I told him never mind, let's go back to the hotel. As we were leaving, me still leaning on Kaji-sensei, a violin solo filled the air. I could tell it was Len. He had gotten good. Really good. Shame I couldn't play with him._

Rereading the last line thrice, Kahoko straightened up against the window, suddenly wary. Even through her intoxication, she could still remember, very clearly, what the next entry would be.

_25 December_

_Len dropped by. We had coffee. I told him to get lost-_

A sudden knock interrupted Kahoko's reading. Dimly aware of what was happening in real time, Kahoko let the journal in her hand drop, falling to the floor with a dull thud. Hopping off the window, she ambled over to the door, groggily opening it.

On the other side stood the last person she wanted to see.

"Can we talk?" Tsukimori Len asked her, his topaz eyes serious.

Blinking rapidly, Kahoko tried to comprehend his request. In a daze, she opened the door and him in.

**A/N:**

Honestly, I have no idea how late October in Japan is like – one of the blessing-curses of living in a tropical country. So I thought the place should look half-autumn swept, half-winter ready. I'm sorry if the descriptions are inconsistent with reality, but I'm not changing this scene.

And yes, if two people fell off a mountain, they wouldn't survive, but humor me. If Kinomoto Sakura can live through the fall, then Tsukimori and Hino can, too – clow cards or no cards.

Finally, I finished the last few paragraphs in a hurry. I was hungry, and I was aching to study for a major exam. It undoubtedly sounds very rushed (I skimmed Kahoko's diary entries and she sounds like she was writing tipsy, not _reading _tipsy) and I'll try to edit it sometime soon. Gomen, gomen.

**PS:**

Thank you to everyone who's reviewed this story! I'm amused by the trickle of reviews that made its way to my email – I say trickle because after the first gush of reviewers commented on the last chapter, some readers dropped me a line, weeks later, saying they enjoyed _BTG. _So yey! Thanks for reading this!

**Revenge of the Footnotes:**

[1] _Aozu Villa__. _Lit. Blue Water Villa. I think.

[2] _Kaji Aoi_. As in the case of the Etou Kiriya featured a few chapters ago, this Kaji Aoi is not Kaji from _Secondo Passo_. He's just a guy with the same name, features, and attitude.


	7. Chapter 6: Findings

**Bridging the Gap**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Chapter Six: Findings**

**A/N: **

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! ::D To celebrate the occasion, I've uploaded some chapters from _BTG Rejected _(posted under that title, links are in my profile page) which is the predecessor of the fanfic you're reading right now. I was reading it just a while ago, and although the writing's pretty whacked, I realized I was actually making more sense in that story than I am here. I'd love to hear which version you like better, this one or that one.

Again, this is another long, overdescriptive one.

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own _La Corda d'Oro_; the whole concept belongs to Kure Yuki-sensei.

This fanfic is based on _Primo Passo_.

**Previously:**

**Chapter Five: Chance Encounters**

_On the other side stood the last person she wanted to see. _

"_Can we talk?" Tsukimori Len asked her, his topaz eyes serious._

_Blinking rapidly, Kahoko tried to comprehend his request. In a daze, she opened the door and him in._

**Chapter Six: Findings**

"I don't believe you a – choo!"

Matsuda Shun's handsome face scrunched up as he sneezed into his fur-lined mittens.

"Matsuda-kun, you're such a baby!" his partner, the doe-eyed Hitsugaya Aki teased, laughing out loud, tears forming on the corners of her eyes.

"Dash mean!" Matsuda replied, rubbing his nose on his sleeve, although he was grinning.

"Ew, gross, you're such a complete slob! Don't – aaaah!!!"

Eiji-san sighed as his lead actor chased after his partner, threatening to rub his sleeve on her. To complicate matters, the pesky entertainment reporters from FBC, led by Ishida Moe, were chasing after the love team, too, their cameras creating pools of light that interfered with _Shattered Symphony's _lighting. Sighing, the veteran director turned to his pimply, young assistant and said resignedly, "Hakuba, let's take an early lunch break, shall we?"

Jumping slightly at being addressed, Hakuba straightened his glasses and shrieked, "Lunch break!"

It was mid-November, and a congregation of lighting technicians, personal assistants, actors, musicians, and reporters were gathered in a mountain overlooking a deep blue sea, an elegant white mansion looming over the set of _Shattered Symphony_. It had started snowing a week ago, and Aozu Villa's spacious front yard was at present covered by a thick blanket of cold white fluff, dented every few meters by footsteps of the film's cast and crew, who were now creating a commotion as they buzzed about preparing for lunch. Taking his earmuffs off irritably, Eiji-san trudged over to a table bearing cookies and coffee, around which a beautiful couple sat.

"Eiji-sama, I hate to pressure you, but don't you think we're progressing terribly slowly?" Fujioka Rumi inquired as the director plopped onto the seat beside her, tinkering with the teapot. "We have to finish this film by March, just in time for FBC's 56th anniversary-"

"Don't worry, Rumi-san, we'll wrap up shooting by January," Eiji-san replied before taking a sip of his coffee. Frowning deeply, an expression of distaste masking his face, he began adding spoonfuls of sugar to his cup, saying as he did so, "The editing won't take too long; there's not much to edit except for the sound. I promise you, you'll have your film on time. We're only two days behind schedule! Loosen up!"

Yunoki Azuma chuckled as his fiancée's eyebrows furrowed, commenting, "Rumi, you're demanding too much. You know you set up a very difficult schedule – the crew's still adjusting to it."

Frowning even more perceptibly, Rumi turned to him. "We've been filming for a month now, haven't they adjusted well enough yet?"

"I know, darling, but these things take time," Yunoki assured her in a soothing voice, reaching out to squeeze her cold hand. "Eiji-sama is right. You've got to loosen up. You're too much of a perfectionist."

Seeing the determined, unyielding look on Rumi's face, Eiji-san burst into a fit of maniacal laughter, exclaiming, "My God, you look positively adorable!"

For an instant, Rumi's agitated expression broke, her questioning eyes seeking answers from Yunoki's. The latter, however, was trying desperately not to laugh, and upon seeing his fiancée looking so confused and bewildered, he felt he could contain his mirth no longer. As he erupted into warm, unrepressed laughter the corners of Rumi's mouth twitched. She soon found herself giggling along with the director and her fiancé, clutching her stomach as she tried to keep herself from laughing out loud in an unladylike manner. Grinning, the crew who passed by them fell into a fit of laughter themselves, including Hakuba, who had never been seen to smile before.

"Glad to see they're having fun," Takishima Makoto commented, pausing to stand beside Kahoko and Nami, who were surveying the scene before them with interest.

"Yeah…" Kahoko answered, acknowledging Takishima with a quick glance. "It's the first time I've ever seen Rumi-san so happy…"

"Mind you, this could make things easier from now on," Nami commented, tapping her chin. "With the boss being so happy, she might not become so iron-fisted anymore."

"Yes, well…" Kahoko frowned. "I actually look up to her for being so strong. It's not often you see women who know how they want things done."

Nami shrugged. "A little confidence is good, I guess," she agreed. "But you have to admit, Rumi-san is scary when she's serious. Right, Takishima-san?"

"I actually think she's hot," he replied simply. "I like independent women."

"It's snowing again," Kahoko commented nervously, seeing the look in her friend's eyes, which shouted that she did not like Takishima's answer. "It's really cold up here, don't you think?"

"Er – yeah," Takishima added, slightly unnerved by Nami's narrowed gaze. "We're shooting on top of a mountain in the middle of November, with the sea breeze lashing at us. If half the crew doesn't get sick by the time we get back to Tokyo, I'll swallow an entire container of wasabi-"

"You sure about that?" Nami challenged, a strange glint in her eyes.

Blinking at her, sneaking a questioning glance at Kahoko, Takishima replied, "Um, not really. I wasn't-"

"Real men never go against their word," Nami countered, pouting, hands on her hips. "Or are you all bark and no bite?"

"Now, you listen here-"

"Nami."

"What?"

"Call me Nami."

"Yes, well, Nami, I was only joking when I said that," Takishima explained, dark eyes serious. "Have you never heard of a hyperbole? Figure of speech?"

"How dare you insult my intelligence-!"

"Amou!" the entertainment reporter Ishida Moe hollered from across the yard, sending curious stares in Kahoko and the others' direction. "Stop flirting with the conductor and get over here right now!"

Caught in an awkward position, with Nami leaning threateningly towards Takishima, who had his hands up before him as if to defend himself, Kahoko blushed, letting the hand which had been resting on Nami's shoulder fall. Following suit, Nami straightened up, flustering visibly as the people surrounding them began whistling and catcalling, casting one last angry look at the slightly red-faced Takishima before stomping over to where Ishida Moe stood.

"Sorry about that," Kahoko said apologetically. "She's a bit hot-tempered, but she's a good person."

"Hm," was all Takishima said, pensive as he stared at Nami's retreating back. Remembering his earlier statement, Kahoko blushed as she wondered if he found Nami attractive. Was he actually interested in her-?

"This is the first time we've spoken with each other," Takishima said suddenly, surprising Kahoko. Turning to her with a smile, he added, "I mean, outside work, of course."

Grinning, Kahoko answered, "Yeah, come to think of it we've never had a decent conversation before…" She found he was actually an interesting person to talk to, and somehow, she felt she wanted to know more about him. How had he met Tsukimori in the first place?

"Ah," Takishima said suddenly, "there's also that time you called Len, and I picked up the phone."

Blood turning cold, Kahoko's face spun towards him as she asked, hopefully nonchalantly, "You still remember that?"

"How could I forget?" Takishima replied. "You seemed like you really wanted to see him badly." He gauged her expression with a searching gaze. "What happened?"

Kahoko kept silent, unsure of what to say next, or how to say it. Instinctively, her eyes scanned the crowd surrounding the villa, looking for a familiar shade of blue. She finally found Tsukimori sitting on the balcony of the villa, his face directed towards someone she couldn't see, an aura of calmness surrounding him. Kahoko continued to stare silently, ignoring Takishima's presence, until Tsukimori suddenly started, taking his eyes off his companion.

As their eyes met, Kahoko saw his eyebrows contract, his expression transforming from calm to icy. Tearing her gaze away, she looked at Takishima, who was staring at her quietly.

"I'll see you later, Takishima-san," she said with a smile, waving as she walked away.

XXX

"Will you stop teasing me already?" Sato said irritably, flinging the chuckling Oribe's hand away. "Stop pairing me up with Mio-san – it's really starting to bother her."

"Aww, come on, Satoshi," Oribe teased, grinning wickedly. "It's obvious you like her, why don't you take the first move?"

"You're one to talk," Sato countered, frowning. "You keep visiting Kobayashi-san's bar, and she still doesn't like you! Who's the loser now, eh?"

"That's different," Oribe said, grin fading. "I don't get to visit her everyday, whereas you actually see Mio-san on a daily basis. That makes _you _the bigger loser-"

"Oh, shut up, the pair of you," Erisu said, putting her magazine down irritably. "Can't you take your love troubles elsewhere? Jeez, you're giving me a headache!"

"You're supposed to be helping us, Eri-chan," Sato said, as Oribe gripped her arm. "You're our only female friend – we have no one else to turn to."

"As if you'd listen to me anyway," Erisu replied, shaking free from Oribe's grip. "You're always boasting about your egos. Do you really care about these women you're chasing after?"

"Yes, of course!"

"Well, I was hoping she'd only be a passing fancy-"

"Heiji!"

"-but, yeah, I suppose she's more special than most."

"If that's the case, then sober up," Erisu commanded impetuously. "You're acting like a pair of idiots who aren't fit for dignified ladies like them. Right, Len?"

"Hm?"

A pair of distracted topaz eyes met hers. Eyebrows raised, Erisu asked, "What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing," he said simply, turning his attention back towards his friends, taking a sip of his coffee. Curious, Erisu looked behind him, trying to see what he had been staring at just moments ago. In the middle of the yard below the balcony stood Takishima, watching Hino Kahoko walk away with a small wave. Erisu felt herself frown.

"The snow came pretty late this year, huh?" Sato commented, looking up at the sky as snow began to fall. "I was afraid it would halt production, but-"

"It's making up for lost time," Oribe noted, trying to catch one of the snowflakes with his hands. "It's weird though, because it keeps snowing at strange hours of the day. Like a broken switch. That could interfere with the filming."

"I doubt it," Tsukimori said, contributing to the conversation. "We're supposed to be filming a scene that's set in a snowstorm. We need more snow than this."

"How do you know that?" Oribe asked, frowning. "You're not even part of the filming crew."

"I own the villa, remember?"

"Oh yeah…"

Smiling slightly as Sato and Oribe began to laugh together, Tsukimori turned to Erisu. He found her looking at the sky with a closed expression on her face - pensive, lonely. Reaching out to touch her shoulder, he asked, "What's wrong?"

She looked at him with troubled eyes, meeting his worried gaze with a confused one. Still with turbulent eyes, she attempted to smile and said, "How do you plan to spend Christmas this year?"

Confused, Tsukimori asked, "I'm going to have dinner at home. Why do you ask?"

"Want to eat Christmas dinner at my house again?" Erisu said suggestively, smiling.

"Hey, wait a minute," Oribe interrupted. "Why is it that only Tsukimori's invited to have dinner with you? Aren't we your friends, too?"

"He's her boyfriend, baka!" Sato berated, swatting Oribe with Erisu's rolled-up magazine. "I think the more interesting question is, you've eaten Christmas dinner with the Sawasakis before?" he added, looking at Tsukimori.

"Yes, just once," Tsukimori replied averting his eyes and taking another sip of his coffee.

Erisu grinned. "I thought my dad would bust a nerve. He was so angry!"

"I thought your father liked Tsukimori?" Oribe asked, confused.

"But that was their first meeting, you see," Erisu answered. "This was… what?" She focused an inquiring gaze at Tsukimori. "Four years ago?"

Meeting her eyes, he nodded. "Four years ago."

XXX

Sawasaki Erisu sighed as she looked up at the narrow Tokyo skyline. It was snowing heavily, the downtown streets crowded with couples who were celebrating Christmas together. Turning to her companion, she saw him inspecting his hands with a glazed look, an expression that did not fit the face of Tsukimori Len. Poking him, and earning a questioning gaze in response, she asked, "What's the matter with you? Aren't you happy that we're finally going to see her?"

His eyebrows furrow as he turned to look at his hands again. "It's nothing."

Erisu gazed at him sadly. _He must be afraid of what he might find out…_

"Don't worry," she assured him, clamping her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure she had a good reason for not meeting you there. At least you'll learn the truth now."

"Hm," was all he said, finally looking away from his hands to stare at the crowded streets of Tokyo. After a moment of silence, he said, "Sawasaki, thanks for doing this."

Erisu felt herself blush. Mentally berating herself, she stammered, "Aaaah, i-it's nothing really. I didn't know what to do with all my bodyguards anyway; I'm sure they're pretty happy to have something to do other than keep track of my boring existence."

"How did you find her, by the way?"

"Well… Ma-chan told me about a phone call he received a few days ago," she replied, face thoughtful. "He said it was from a girl who was looking for you, and that she sounded pretty desperate to find you. I thought maybe she was planning to visit you for Christmas, so maybe she was just around the Yokohama area. But when I sent my bodyguards to search the hotels, we couldn't come up with anyone who fit her description."

She took a quick glance of his face to check if he was listening. She need not have done that, for he was listening to her intently, eyes following her every move, with a concentration that caught her mentally off-guard.

"So I thought she might be in Tokyo, and I had each hotel scanned," Erisu continued. "We didn't find her until this morning-" She stole another glance at him. "Coming out of Diamond Hotel with a man we've identified as Kaji Aoi. [1] We checked the hotel records, and there's a room booked under his name. But none booked under Hino Kahoko."

Erisu watched as Tsukimori blanched visibly. _Was I right to tell him that? _

"I'm sure she has a good reason," Tsukimori said, more to himself than to her. "Thanks for telling me."

"Hm," Sawasaki merely said.

"Erisu-ojousama," interrupted Naoto-san from the passenger's seat of the limousine. "We have arrived at the Diamond Hotel. It is the building to your right." [1]

As one, Erisu and Tsukimori looked up at the lonely white structure that stood before them, its lobby looking bare and lonely through floor-length glass windows. One of the letters in its marquee had fallen off, such that the sign now read Damond. The receptionist at the front desk seemed to be flirting with the guard as she filed her nails, and on a couch in one corner of the lobby sat an old man, coughing miserably into a pale handkerchief.

"For the Diamond Hotel, it's not very brilliant," Erisu joked, trying to make Tsukimori feel lighter. But he was already too tense to care, let alone hear what she had just said.

"Thanks for taking me this far, Sawasaki," he said, voice bare of any emotion. "You should go home now."

"Um, yeah," Erisu said, eyes widening as the driver opened the limousine door. "Do you think we'll see each other before we return to Vienna?"

Looking at her from the sidewalk, Tsukimori replied, "We might. I'm not sure. I'll call you if I have anything planned."

"Okay…" she said, feeling nervous for him. But she knew she had done all she could. This was the farthest she could go. "Good luck, Tsukimori-kun."

He raised a hand in farewell as the limousine door closed, separating the two of them. As the car drove away, she watched as his hand fell to his side, her own hands pressed against the window of the limousine. The car turning round a corner, the last image of him she saw was his determined stance as he slowly walked towards the Diamond Hotel.

She wondered what he felt. She wondered what he would hear.

Settling into the comfortable backseat, she watched a Tokyo Christmas scene with mild interest. She thought of celebrating Christmas Eve with her parents and her grandmother, eating together as they had always done since she was a kid. Although her family was not Christian, they had always put much importance on Christmas, her Obaasama stressing the value of staying together as a family. Erisu had always _always _anticipated the occasion; with her father's busy work schedule, it was one of the rare times she was sure to see him at ease. But tonight…

"Naoto-san?" she asked, eyes still trained at the world outside. "Do you know where Tsukimori-kun is staying?"

"I believe he has reserved a room at the Tokyo Grand, Ojousama."

Silence. With the limousine stuck in a traffic jam, she found herself staring at the passersby up close. On the sidewalk, in front of the window display of a chocolate shop, stood a couple, his arm wrapped around her waist, her head on his shoulder as they looked at the sweets on display. As the two of them began to laugh, Erisu felt her heart somersault.

"Do you think we could invite him over for dinner?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound too eager.

"I'm not sure, Ojousama," he replied honestly. "Although your mother and grandmother are particularly fond of Tsukimori-sama, your father hasn't met him yet. He may consider inviting him to Christmas dinner a bit forward on your part."

"But he's spending tonight alone, isn't he?"

Naoto-san smiled, understanding completely.

"I'm sure he will get by," he assured her. "Tsukimori-sama is not the weak type. I'm sure he'll get along just fine."

Silence. She pondered his words, wondering if they were still true in Tsukimori's current situation.

"I want to spend the evening with Len."

Naoto-san's eyebrows rose. Not only was it the first time she had said his name aloud, it was also the first time she had ever shown such compassion for a person outside her family.

"Erika-ojousama," he asked, cautious. "Are you… in love with Tsukimori-sama?"

She had taken such a long time to respond that Naoto-san worried she had lapsed into a silent wave of tears. Turning around, he saw her staring at her hands with a thoughtful expression, a small frown on her face. Feeling Naoto-san's gaze on her, she looked up at him, her eyes determined.

"Let's turn around."

Naoto-san straightened his glasses, taken aback by the implication of her silence. He had been watching over her affairs for more than a year, yet he had never realized that tending to her heart was part of his job description.

"I-I'm afraid that's impossible, Ojousama. We're in the middle of the road."

"Then stop the car."

"But-"

"For the love of God, stop the car!!!"

Not daring to disobey a direct order from his superior, the driver hit on the brakes, causing the cars behind the limousine to honk loudly. As Erisu opened the limousine door and jumped out, Naoto-san cursed for the first time in years. He had been in the service of the Sawasaki family for more than a decade, first serving Erisu's grandfather, and then her father, until finally, he watched over Erisu as well. In all those years, he had never seen a temper as turbulent or a personality as bipolar as the Ojousama's. As he got off the limousine and chased after her, he wondered vaguely if she had gotten her insanity from her mother's side of the family. But even that seemed improbable.

"Naoto-san," Erisu said suddenly, pausing from her sprint to look at her personal secretary. "Why are you following me?"

"Because it is my duty, Ojousama," he replied, panting slightly, out of breath due to lack of exercise. "Your father has carefully instructed me to-"

"I am your immediate superior," she said, in a voice holding so much authority that even passersby turned to look. "As such, I order you to _stop following me_. My God, Naoto-san, I am not a child!"

As she turned to run away, Naoto-san merely straightened his glasses and watched her feet fly across the pavement. He did not dare run after her; he felt it would be better for him to stay where he was. And yet, as he stood there, the snow falling around him, strangers' gazes directed towards him, he felt like laughing out loud.

She would never grow up.

XXX

Sawasaki Erisu risked a peek through the restaurant door. Across the room, seated on a table by a window overlooking Tokyo, sat Tsukimori Len and Hino Kahoko. They were talking to each other in low but impassioned voices; Erisu could see the woman shaking her head in frustration, and Tsukimori banging his fist on the table, upsetting his teacup.

Erisu took a sharp intake of breath, a few beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She had just successfully escaped from Naoto-san, and as a result of her hesitation to admit how much she wanted to become a part of Tsukimori's life, she had arrived much too late to listen to the beginning of their conversation.

She bit her lip. She couldn't hear anything!

Bending closer to the door as much as she dared, she strained to hear pieces of their argument.

"The past is past, Len!" Hino Kahoko was saying, sounding as though she was on the verge of tears. "Look, can't we just move on with our own lives? You've got your music, and I've got Aoi-san."

"Are you trying to tell me that you didn't show up because you've met some other man?"

"Didn't you see it coming? You were the one who predicted it in the first place, why are you so angry-"

"Because I waited two years for nothing!"

"Well, I'm sorry that I made you wait, but the fact of the matter is I'm with Aoi-san now-"

"What's so good about him anyway?"

"What are you doing?"

Erisu thought her heart had fallen out of her chest. Turning around, putting a hand up to steady her heartbeat, she saw a tall, handsome man in his late twenties standing before her, his hands in his pockets, a suspicious yet amused look in his twinkling eyes.

"Er, I'm, um-"

Erisu was at a loss for words. It was not only the shock of being discovered while she was eavesdropping, but also the blow of being found out by a man who was strikingly, undeniably, very good-looking.

"Were you eavesdropping?" the man asked, smiling as he suggested the idea, eyes still twinkling. "That's not very nice, you know."

"It's not for you to decide what I do with my life," Erisu said, suddenly filled with courage. As the man's eyebrows rose, she added, "Come to think of it, who are you anyway?"

As he opened his mouth to answer his question, a loud bang was heard from the table.

"So what if we're sharing a room?!" came the woman's voice, carrying across the restaurant and even in the hotel hallway. "That's none of your business-!"

A pregnant pause.

"Then tell me you don't love me anymore."

Erisu, who had flustered deeply at the woman's words, sobered up at the sound of Tsukimori's oddly emotionless voice.

"You're… joking, right?"

"I just want to know if you still love me."

Erisu and the stranger stared at each other, waiting with bated breath. What would she say? Erisu found that she didn't want the two of them together, no, she didn't. But Tsukimori still obviously loved her…

As she stared into the stranger's eyes, no longer twinkling, no longer amused, she heard her heartbeat speed up with every second of silence that Hino Kahoko was taking. And then, with a shock of realization, she saw the stranger put a hand up against the wall to steady himself, as though the suspense was killing him, too.

_Could he possibly be-?_

"I don't love you."

Erisu felt her hand fly up to her mouth in shock at the words she had so simply said. How could she break a person's heart so easily? Without emotion? Without empathy? Balancing herself against the wall, she felt strangely winded, as though she was the one whose heart got broken, as though she was Tsukimori Len, sitting in that restaurant against the backdrop of city lights, listening to the love of his life telling him she had moved on.

She wondered how he felt.

"That's all I needed to hear," Tsukimori said, answering her unasked question. Erisu heard the sound of a metal chair scraping against the tiled floor, of the sound of footsteps approaching the door.

As she straightened up, Tsukimori emerged from the doorway, eyes aimed straight ahead, angry for the first time. He started as he saw Erisu standing before him, tears forming at the corners of her eyes, but as he opened his mouth to speak to her, he saw the man she was with. And again, a strange emotion passed across his face, a mixture of anger, wrath, loneliness and desperation that Erisu had never seen before. She thought Tsukimori would punch him, but just as the gap between the two men closed, a soft voice, so distinct you could hear the tears, called out from inside the restaurant.

"Kaji-sensei?"

Tsukimori shut his eyes, fists balled at his sides. Cursing under his breath, he walked past Kaji Aoi with conviction, eyes directed straight ahead, not looking back.

XXX

Sawasaki Erisu scratched her nose. It had been four years since they had broken up, and yet Tsukimori Len was still in love with Hino Kahoko. She wondered how that was possible. How could he be so stupid, nurturing love for a woman who had trampled on his heart and mangled his pride?

She stole a glance at him, smiling at a joke Oribe had said, barely recovered from the heartache that had left him emotionally crippled for years. He was so… stupid.

And then she felt the urge to laugh at herself. Between the two of them, she was the dumber one. Here she was, the self-proclaimed rebound girl, waiting-in-line for a position that might never be vacated, attempting all sorts of methods to usurp the heartbreaker's throne. She had been trying for years, and he had been resisting for years – why did she keep trying again?

She had always known he was in love with Hino Kahoko. She had been aware of that even before she became his friend. So… why?

_But then_, she reasoned as she absently began playing with her coffee_, he… intoxicates me. _

Erisu closed her eyes, sighing heavily. Although she never admitted it out loud, she had been intoxicated by his presence since the night they had first met.

"_Ma-chan," the freshman Sawasaki Erisu sang, poking her friend in the arm. "Treat me to dinner will you?"_

_Rubbing the point she had poked, Takishima Makoto said, "Eri-chan, just because I told your mother I'd look after you doesn't mean you have the right to follow me everywhere I go. I have a life, too, you know? And besides, don't you have Naoto-san to cook for you?"_

"_Naoto-san is a personal secretary, not a maid," Erisu replied, frowning. "I just want to eat something home-cooked for once. Our chef's dishes are so… impersonal."_

_It was ten in the evening, and the two of them had stayed at school late to practice for an upcoming performance. The evening was crisp, the classrooms quiet, and as the pair of them walked across the shadowy hallways, their footsteps echoed like music. _

_Takishima sighed. _

"_Since you're so persistent, I suppose you can tag along for dinner," he said, massaging his temples. "But I'm inviting Tsukimori, too, okay? You better behave."_

"_Tsukimori Len?" Erisu asked, freezing. "That weirdo who plays the violin?"_

"_Hey, he is not weird-"_

"_He doesn't talk. He keeps to himself."_

"_You're only saying that because he doesn't talk to you. But he talks to other people. He has friends in his department, and I'm on good terms with him. And! He's the most talented violinist in the school-"_

"_But he's weird, Ma-chan!"_

"_Erisu, listen," Takishima said, putting both hands on her shoulders. "The guy's just really quiet, okay? And besides… he's got a big problem."_

"_What, is his family's business going bankrupt?"_

"_No, no, their business is doing fine," Takishima said, shaking his head. "It's of a more personal nature. I'm not sure I should even talk to you about it."_

"_But what is it, Ma-chan?"_

"_Ahh, you irritating-"_

"_Tell me, tell me!" Erisu pleaded, tugging at his sleeve. "It's not as if I have any other friends to tell his secret to."_

"_Are you using emotional blackmail?" Takishima asked, amused. "Oh, all right, all right. Since it's true you haven't got any other friends anyway-"_

"_Hey!"_

_Takishima sighed and ruffled his hair._

"_Tsukimori Len is in love with a girl who he had to leave behind in Japan. I don't know her name, so don't ask me," he interrupted, seeing that Erisu was about to open her mouth. "All I know is that she plays the violin, too, and that he's been in love with her since junior year in high school. _

"_He didn't really say much, but from what I understood of his explanation, there were supposed to meet somewhere last April so he could bring her with him to Vienna. I mean, you know, using the prize money from Contini. But… she never showed up."_

_Erisu blinked. "So… he's sulking because he got stood up?"_

"_Something like that," Takishima said, shrugging. "He tried to find her over vacation, but couldn't."_

"_What if she's dead?"_

"_Erisu~"_

"_Takishima?" a cool voice asked from behind the two of them. Turning around, Erisu saw that it was the man they had just been talking about, Tsukimori Len, dressed in his usual quarter sleeved shirt and slacks, sheet music in his hands. "I thought you had gone home?"_

"_Ah, yeah, well," Takishima said, sidestepping Erisu as though to hide her. "Practice ran a bit late so…"_

"_Congratulations on getting the vice-conductor position."_

"_Yeah, we should celebrate! I'll cook something extra special tonight," he motioned for Erisu to come out from behind him, confusing the poor girl. "You don't mind if I invite someone else, do you?"_

_Erisu felt slightly shaken as Tsukimori's eyes turned towards her. "No, I don't mind."_

"_Fantastic!" Takishima exclaimed, looking genuinely happy. "This is Sawasaki Erisu, by the way, I've known her since we were kids. She's a freshman so her mother asked me to look after her. Eri-chan, this is Tsukimori Len. He's the one I've been telling you about."_

_Erisu and Tsukimori stared at each other for a few moments, each gauging the other's reaction, both ignoring the panicked look on Takishima's face. Finally, after she felt the staring had gone on long enough to drive her Ma-chan insane, she bowed at Tsukimori, smiling._

"_Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."_

_Tsukimori merely inclined his head, eyes still staring at her emotionlessly. _

"_R-right, well then," Takishima said, clapping his hands, grinning. "Let's go eat dinner. I'm famished!" _

_As Takishima and Len began walking towards the school exit together, Erisu trailed behind them, frowning slightly. _

"_Tsukimori-kun, I can help you."_

_The violinist in question turned around, searching her face questioningly. "I beg your pardon?" _

"_I can help you find your girlfriend," Erisu said determinedly, ignoring Takishima who was clutching his head and silently groaning in frustration. "My father has connections, you know?"_

"_How is it that you know about my situation?"_

_Erisu motioned towards Takishima, who was now banging his head on a nearby wall. Sighing, Tsukimori massaged his temples and replied, "I appreciate the offer, Sawasaki-san, but if I may be so bold, this really is none of your business." _

"_Do you know who my father is?" Erisu plowed on, ignoring the fact that Tsukimori had already turned his back to her. "Sawasaki Tadashi, currently a senator, and possibly the next head of Japan. I'm not joking when I'm telling you I have connections, Tsukimori-kun. We both know this is an opportunity you can't miss." _

"_Are you always this annoying or is today extra special?" Tsukimori asked, whirling around again, a hint of irritation on his usually composed face. "I'm telling you, I don't need your help. So thank you, but-"_

"_Look, I can tell you don't want to tell me her name," Erisu said, approaching Tsukimori cautiously. "But think about it okay. I know it's been hard on you, but you know what, there are people around you who can help."_

_Tsukimori was silent for a minute, looking at her, but not seeing her. _

"_Why… do you want to help me? I mean," Tsukimori laughed out loud mirthlessly, much to Takishima and Erisu's surprise, "we've only just met and yet you're treating me like you've known me all your life. You don't know anything about me-!"_

"_I just think," Erisu interrupted, earning her a confused look, "that since we're all Japanese students in a foreign country, I should offer you some help. Perhaps one day you'll realize… that there are other people you can rely on, too."_

_Tsukimori kept quiet, still gazing at her. Finally, he sighed._

"_I'll think about it," he said finally._

"Erisu-ojousama, may I speak to you for a moment?" Naoto-san's familiar voice whispered into her ear, interrupting her thoughts.

"What is it Naoto-san?" Erisu asked rather irritably, blinking rapidly to familiarize herself with the strangely bright glare of the real world. "Is it so important that you have to interrupt my lunch?"

"I'm afraid it is, Ojousama," Naoto-san replied gravely. "It's about you know what, involving you know who-"

"Is there something wrong?" Tsukimori Len interrupted, aiming a questioning glance at the huddled pair, conversing in whispers. At his words, Oribe and Sato also turned to look, their happy faces almost instantly transformed into masks of confusion.

"Eri-chan, what is it?"

"Is something wrong?"

"No, no, everything's perfectly all right," Erisu replied, smiling slightly. "I just need to discuss something with Naoto-san. If you'll excuse me-"

Rising out of her chair, ignoring the curious looks her companions exchanged, she walked out of the balcony and into the hallway, Naoto-san following a few steps behind her. Settling herself a few paces away from the head of the grand staircase, watching the rest of the crew working while making sure she was not being heard, she turned towards her personal secretary.

"What is it?" she asked, face serious, arms crossed.

With a blank expression, the dignified man took a white envelope from within his jacket pocket. Still unspeaking, he handed the document to his immediate superior, who gave it a look of utter confusion.

"What is that?"

"Hino Kahoko's records at Mizuide General Hospital," [1] Naoto-san replied, the document still held out in his hands. "I thought you might want to read them, considering they offer answer all the questions you've been asking all these months."

At these words, Erisu tensed visibly, her eyes widening slightly, her breath becoming slightly uneven. With fingers that mercifully did not tremble, she reached out for the white envelope, and within a minute was reading its contents without interruption.

With each line she comprehended, her eyebrows contracted further and further. Finally, she let her hand fall to her side, the white sheet of paper clutched tightly in her hands.

"I…" she began, looking anywhere but at Naoto-san, "I need time to think about this."

With these words she handed the records back to her personal secretary, who gave her a slight bow as she walked down the staircase dazedly.

He knew she would take it like this. And yet he felt she had to know.

Instinctively, he took yet another look at the paper in his hands, stared at one line that he had read over and over, willing it to be a lie.

_Hino Kahoko: Premature Ovarian Failure._

Naoto-san sighed, not bothering to put the sheet back in its envelope. Three words had changed everything.

**A/N:**

There you go - the first half of _BTG_. It's been a crazy roller-coaster ride so far, but thanks for jumping in with me. Happy Valentine's Day! ::D

**PS:**

Once again, thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed _BTG _– you guys are my lifeblood. I'll try to update soon!

Also, I'd like to take this opportunity to dedicate this chapter to S. Life doesn't end just because you can't give life.

**Revenge of the Footnotes:**

[1] _Diamond Hotel, Mizuide General Hospital_. Fictional.


	8. Chapter 7: MantoMan

**Bridging the Gap**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Chapter Seven: Man-to-Man**

**A/N: **

Hello, it's me again, and we've officially reached the midpoint of this fanfic – yeeeeah, it's long, sorry. I'd also like to apologize for forgetting to mention what happened in Kahoko's bedroom that one night in Aozu – but anyway, here's a chapter that I hope makes up for that. Warning though: Chapter contains very long dialogue. I hope you enjoy it anyway! ::D

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own _La Corda d'Oro_; the whole concept belongs to Kure Yuki-sensei.

This fanfic is based on _Primo Passo_.

**Previously**

**Chapter Six: Findings**

"_I…" she began, looking anywhere but at Naoto-san, "I need time to think about this."_

_With these words she handed the records back to her personal secretary, who gave her a slight bow as she walked down the staircase dazedly. _

_He knew she would take it like this. And yet he felt she had to know. _

_Instinctively, he took yet another look at the paper in his hands, stared at one line that he had read over and over, willing it to be a lie. _

_Hino Kahoko: Premature Ovarian Failure._

**Chapter Seven: Man-to-Man**

"Kaji-sensei," a nurse in a pristine white uniform said in low tones as she closed the door behind her. "There's someone here to see you."

"Hm? What's that?" the doctor asked distractedly, looking up from the medical records he had been poring over at his desk. "A visitor at this time of day? Is it urgent?"

"He seems to be in no particular danger…"

"Well then, I'm afraid he'll have to wait a minute," Kaji said patiently. "I'm a bit busy at the moment, so please have him wait at the receiving area while I sign-"

"Pardon my bluntness, Sensei," the nurse interrupted in low, anxious tones, "but I suggest you speak to him immediately."

Kaji Aoi lifted his head.

"What's the matter, Hinata?" he asked, searching her worried expression with a piercing gaze. "Is there something wrong?"

The young nurse shook her head, although her face bore a mask of anxiety.

"It's just that… I think it's a bit weird that he's here in town," she explained incoherently, as though she was talking to herself. "I mean, he's an international superstar, but he's here in Mizuide, and since he's looking for you, I think it's best that- Sensei?"

In a flash, the tanned, young doctor rose from his creaking seat and crossed his cramped office in a few long strides. With Hinata simply staring at his squared back, he opened the door decidedly and stepped out into the hallway, positive he knew who was waiting to see him.

Sure enough, at the sound of approaching footsteps, a man in elegant dark clothes turned away from the window he had been looking through to meet Kaji's gaze. He had neat, cerulean blue hair and sharp topaz eyes, which he now trained at the doctor's face with a mixture of suspicion and some indescribable, negative emotion. The hands at his sides clenched, then immediately unclenched, as though he was fighting himself and barely winning.

Kaji raised an eyebrow. Kahoko had described this man as one who showed practically no emotion, yet for the two instances the of them had met, Kaji had seen nothing but sheer, undisguised anger on the other man's face.

Then again, Kaji didn't blame him.

"Tsukimori Len," Kaji said, nodding curtly at the visitor as Hinata sidled across the wall behind him, regarding the scene before her with a heightened sense of worry. "This is a surprise."

"Kaji Aoi," Tsukimori acknowledged, voice dangerously low. "I came to speak with you."

"That," Kaji said, eyebrows raised, "is obvious. Come inside my office. We can discuss things here, if you don't mind the cramped space."

Wordlessly, the angry violinist plodded into the doctor's office, right under his host's cold gaze. As soon as Tsukimori had settled comfortably before his office desk, Kaji scanned the hospital hallway and found himself releasing a soft sigh, relieved that no one else had been there to witness the bizarre confrontation. Turning to Hinata, he asked, "Has anyone else seen him come in?"

"I'm not sure, Sensei," she answered honestly, eyes glinting oddly. "But in a small town such as this, people notice things they shouldn't."

"Of course," Kaji noted, his expression showing that he had expected this. "Hinata, do me a favor and please make sure no one interrupts or eavesdrops on our conversation. Can you promise me that?"

The nurse nodded, calming down, although her face still showed signs of agitation.

"Sensei, do you want me to bring you tea-?"

"No, no, thank you," Kaji replied good-naturedly, his old smile returning. "I'm afraid this is not a casual chat between two old friends."

With that, he closed the door to his office, leaving a very confused nurse in his wake.

XXX

"Merry Christmas, by the way."

Tsukimori Len looked up from the white table surface that he had been staring at. Scowling, he caught Kaji Aoi smiling cheerfully at him while descending into his office seat, which creaked as he sat.

"What brings you here tonight?" the doctor asked, rearranging the piles of paper strewn all over his desk, attempting to clear some space on his table. "Don't have you have parties to go to, important people to play for?"

"I don't work on Christmas."

"Hmmmm? Lucky you, then," Kaji said, eyes crinkling in silent laughter. "As you can see, some of us are swamped with work even during special occasions. Doctors are on duty even on days and hours like this, just in case someone gets crushed under a giant Christmas tree or something…"

Awkward silence.

"Say, where's that girl who was with you?" the doctor asked suddenly, eyes widening in slight surprise. "Dark hair, green eyes… really feisty?"

He checked his companion's expression, just to check if Tsukimori was still listening. Definitely less anger there - only to be replaced by something more lethargic. It seemed a wave of frosted glass had glazed over the violinist's eyes, giving him an unseeing appearance.

"I'll tell you what. I think I'll ask Hinata to bring tea up here after all-"

"Don't bother," Tsukimori finally said, causing Kaji's hand to freeze right over the intercom. "I've only come here to ask you one thing. I don't intend to stay long."

Kaji paused, regarding his visitor with a thoughtful expression. Then, with slow deliberate movements, he straightened his back and asked, "What is it that you wish to know?"

Tsukimori merely looked at the doctor with unfeeling eyes.

"Exactly what happened between you and Hino?"

Kaji merely smiled, as though he had been expecting the question.

"Shouldn't you be asking Kahoko that?" he asked, eyes twinkling. "I'm sure you've had plenty of opportunity to ask her, given you're technically colleagues in this movie project."

"The only time I got the chance to ask her, she was intoxicated," Tsukimori replied distractedly, wondering vaguely how the doctor had known he and Kahoko had been working in close proximity. "She pushed me out of her room before I could ask her any questions-"

"Hang on," Kaji interrupted. "She pushed you out of her _room-_?"

"The point is I haven't gotten round to getting the truth out of her," Tsukimori replied impatiently. "I have no choice but to get answers from the other party involved, which is why I'm here."

Kaji sighed, leaning deeper into his seat.

"She's gonna kill me if she finds out I told you," he murmured, eyes closed, more to himself than to Tsukimori. "You realize we've never spoken before and she's always wanted to keep it that way?"

He opened one tired, bleary eye and surveyed Tsukimori. The violinist sat stoically on the other side of the office desk, hands on his knees, eyes directed straight at Kaji, his body language demanding answers to the barrage of questions that remained unasked in his head.

Kaji groaned.

"How did you know about this anyway?" Kaji said. "I mean, about the two of us _breaking up_. You're supposed to be in Vienna, aren't you? Didn't you and Kahoko promise each other that you'd stay out of each other's lives or something?"

An odd emotion flickered in Tsukimori's eyes.

"I…" he began, a twinge of hesitation in his reply, "have a friend who's a big fan of hers."

"Still doesn't justify how much your friend knows about her personal life," Kaji countered, eyebrows raised skeptically.

Despite himself, Tsukimori smiled.

"You don't know Sato Satoshi."

XXX

Takishima Makoto stood at the threshold of the vast rec room, arms akimbo, a feral look on his face.

"I refuse to celebrate my 24th birthday watching this piece of crap!" he exclaimed, stomping a foot for emphasis. His friend, the grey haired, cherub-faced Sato Satoshi, turned around from his crouched position beside the DVD player, a mad flame dancing in his eyes.

"It is _not _a piece of crap!" he cried, brandishing the remote control in his hands. "It's one of the best anime shows _ever_, and if you don't believe me, ask the Animax Awards panel because they gave this show 5 awards out of 8 nominations!" [1]

"Listen here, Sato," Takishima said, taking a few steps towards the other man. "I don't care how good this thing is – we are _not_ watching it, you got that?"

"You don't even own the place," Sato complained as Takishima grabbed the remote. "And I'm sure Tsukimori won't mind-"

"I've known him longer than you have - what makes you think he'll side with you on _my _birthday-?"

"Guys, seriously, you're acting like kids!" Oribe Heiji said with a scowl, entering the rec room bearing several bottles of wine. "Makoto, look, I know I'm you're cousin, but this time, I'm going to go with what Satoshi wants. Let's just watch this thing and get it over with-"

"What were you planning to do anyway?" Sato asked, lunging for the remote in Takishima's hand.

"_We _were going to watch _Les Miserables: The Dream Concert-" _[2]

"But you've seen that a hundred times, Ma-chan," moaned Sawasaki Erisu as she entered the rec room bearing plates and silverware, the cerulean-haired Tsukimori Len wordlessly carrying a steaming bowl behind her. "Can't we watch this thing Satoshi-kun brought? What is this anyway?"

She carefully placed her load on top of the large kotatsu in the middle of the room, reaching for a DVD case lying abandoned in the middle of the floor.

"_Wanted Perfect Orchestra?_" Erisu read off the cover, eyebrows rising, a sneer forming on her face. "Is this supposed to be any good?"

"You bet it is," Sato said with conviction, abandoning all hopes of retrieving the remote control and squatting beside Erisu. "The story's really elaborate and funny, and - and, there's a lot of action, too – and the score's just fantastic, and each song really gets to you, you know, like every line has a meaning. And! I really love this one scene where the antagonist mulls over his life and he plays this really awesome cello solo, and its meaning really gets to you, even though you've never gone through what that guy has gone through, I mean, unless you've been raised by abusive assassins for parents in a red light district or something-"

"You see?" Oribe said to his cousin, motioning empathically towards Sato. "How can you possibly be so heartless as to prevent this kid from watching what he wants?"

"First of all, Sato isn't going to die if he goes one night without this thing-"

"Let's try it, Makoto," Tsukimori suddenly said, setting the hot pot on top of the kotatsu. "It can't be that bad, if it managed to impress Sato."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll love it, Tsukimori," Sato said, drifting away from Erisu and immediately rushing to Tsukimori's side. "It won Best Score _and _Best Song in the last Animax Awards. And you know what's even more fascinating? The whole score? All the songs? Done by the same person. You wouldn't have guessed given the variety the show presents."

"Wow," Erisu said in a mocking tone, rolling her eyes while Sato's back was to her. "So, like who's this wonder guy who composed all that?"

"Girl, actually," corrected Sato. "She's this really enigmatic composer who suddenly popped up last year doing the soundtrack of _Loop Continuum_ – that one's really good, too. And the funny thing is, she never went to a music college. Although she's a high school grad from Seiso Gakuen in Yokohama."

Takishima sent Tsukimori a questioning glance, which the latter merely ignored, occupying himself with stirring the soup on top of the table.

"I've seen a few pictures of her online, mostly paparazzi-taken, given she's so media-aloof and all that," Sato continued, settling around the table just as the others were. "I'm telling you, man, she's hot. I mean, I'm not sure if she fits your taste," he said to Tsukimori, "but I totally dig her. And the best part is she's single. In this one magazine interview she did for AnAn, she says she's never been in a relationship before. But that's because she's never met _me_,_" _he added with a triumphant bang on the table.[2]

"Concentrate on graduating first, you dweeb," Oribe scolded, swatting the side of Sato's head with his chopsticks. "We've still got four months to go."

"He-i-ji~ I thought you were on my side-?"

"So this girl, she's really talented?" Erisu asked nonchalantly, ladling Tsukimori's bowl with soup, ignoring the other guys' teasing glances, and Oribe's faked "boyfriend – ehem – boyfriend" coughs. "How come I've never heard of her before?"

"What? You've never heard of Hino Kahoko?" Sato asked through a mouthful of noodles.

There was a clang as Tsukimori dropped the bowl Erisu handed him.

"Dang, Tsukimori," Oribe exclaimed, jumping up. "You're really clumsy when it comes to food, aren't you?"

"Are you all right?" Sato asked, gulping down his noodles, eyebrows furrowing in concern.

"I-I'm fine, it's nothing-"

"I'll… go get a towel," Takishima added, rising to his feet as Erisu and Tsukimori sat in complete shock.

"So, yeah, I'm, uh," Sato stammered, seeing the odd looks on his friends' faces. "I'll go pop this in the DVD player, okay?"

"Hey, Satoshi-kun?" Erisu interrupted, addressing Sato with a strangely low voice. "I really don't think we should watch this thing tonight. I mean, if Ma-chan wants to watch _Les Miserables_, we should let him watch _Les Miserables_."

"Eri-chan, you said so yourself: He's seen that thing a _thousand _times-"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Makoto will get over it," Oribe said smugly, settling back into his seat. "If I were you, Satoshi, I'd play the thing while he's off MIA. Besides," he added thoughtfully, looking at Tsukimori as though attempting to convince him, "aren't you the least bit curious why its music has won so many awards?"

"Here, I found one, only it's-"

Takishima briskly walked back into the rec room, holding out a fluffy pink face towel towards the still frozen Tsukimori. Crouching near the DVD player, Sato Satoshi looked up at the older man with round, innocent eyes, the large, flat-screen TV blinking into focus behind him.

"I told you, we're not watching this tonight-!"

"If not now, when?" Oribe complained, banging his chopsticks on the table. "We're returning to Prague in two days-!"

"We can watch it in Japan during the summer-" Erisu suggested in a mumble.

"But Tsukimori won't be there!" Sato complained, pouting.

"That's precisely the point!" Takishima said, brandishing the towel.

"WHAT-?!"

"Let's watch this thing," interrupted Tsukimori calmly. Four pairs of eyes turned towards him - two pairs confused, the other two worried. "It's already playing anyway."

He chose not to comment on the meaningful look Erisu sent him, and instead picked up his chopsticks with deliberate fluidity.

With his words adding tension to the awkward atmosphere, he ignored the wet heat on his clothes, his senses concentrating on the first few notes of Hino Kahoko's orchestral opening theme. He picked up a random vegetable on his plate, chewed on it slowly, and looked past the heads of his friends to focus his attention on the TV screen.

XXX

Kaji Aoi stared openly.

"You deduced all that from a magazine interview?" he asked, tone questioning and disbelieving.

Tsukimori frowned.

"You're changing the topic," he said in an icy, irritable manner. "Just tell me what happened between the two of you, and I'll leave."

Kaji sighed again, settling deeper into his seat with a soft plop.

"This was not supposed to happen," he mumbled to himself again. "I never took you for the type who kept track of the entertainment industry. Kahoko is _so_ going to kill me."

"What do you mean by that?" Tsukimori asked, bristling.

"It means," Kaji replied, rather resignedly, "I was the one who convinced Kahoko to become a composer."

Seeing the perplexed look Tsukimori gave him, Kaji sighed.

"She never wanted to return to the city life, you know," he admitted, lost in thought. "But when I heard her music, I knew she was too talented to stay hidden in this tiny, unchanging town; she was meant to go out in the world. So I sent her work to a friend of mine who's in the industry, and he referred her to some big-wigs he knew…"

"A friend of yours?"

"Hakuba Kenjirou - he's from this town," said Kaji. "He works for _Shattered Symphony's _director, so he gets around quite a lot."

Remembering Eiji-sama's pimply young assistant, Tsukimori noted, "I suppose he did his task properly, considering Kahoko's rather famous now."

"Well, yes, he did his job well," Kaji admitted, nodding. "He's made her name so famous after just one year – that guy really knows how to pull the ropes, you know. In fact, I think he should be-"

Tsukimori began to tune out the rest of Kaji's statement. If his judgment was right, then it would mean their break-up was caused by-

"The distance," Tsukimori said suddenly, cutting Kaji off mid-sentence. "Was it the distance that caused your break-up? You working here, and Kahoko being in Tokyo?"

Kaji looked up at him, slightly startled.

"The thing is…"

He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. Finally, with a sigh, he conceded, "We were never together, you see. I never dated Kahoko - not that I didn't want to. She had always made her feelings known to me, so I knew the two of us just… wouldn't work."

Tsukimori Len sat frozen in shock, confusion etched on his face. For a few moments, he merely sat still, oblivious of Kaji Aoi's searching looks, lost in jumbled thoughts and memories that raced through his mind. Finally, after almost an entire minute of silence, the latter cursed under his breath and stood up, cracking his knuckles.

"I hope you realize I'm digging my own grave here," Kaji said as he turned towards a large, metal filing cabinet. "I'm about to tell you a secret only Kahoko and I share. It's something that she wants to keep hidden from other people – most especially from you. So please, when you begin to comprehend what I'm about to explain to you, I hope you act rationally as I expect you to…"

He trailed off, his hands deep into a sea of yellowing folders, a frown on his face.

"That's… odd," he mumbled to himself. "It's not here."

"What is it?" Tsukimori asked, uncharacteristically agitated. "What's gone missing?"

Kaji blinked several times, as though trying to remember something. Then, closing the cabinet, he returned to his seat and said, with a small smile that did not befit the gravity of the situation, "Never mind, I remember everything anyway. After all, it's a story that's impossible to forget."

He turned to look at something, and when Tsukimori followed his gaze, he saw a tiny window he had barely noticed before - a small rectangular frame that presented the image of a snowy, moonlit night. Illuminated by a pearly, unearthly glow, Kaji Aoi looked pensive, as though he was trying to piece together memories he had long ago buried underneath other thoughts. As Tsukimori turned his attention to the snow falling from the starless night sky, he wondered what Kahoko was doing this Christmas Eve. Was she watching the snow cruising slowly across the winter air, just as he was?

"The first time I met Kahoko, it was spring four years ago," Kaji said suddenly, jolting Tsukimori from his musings. "There was a serious traffic accident just within the borders of Mizuide, and she had been involved."

His eyes flickered towards Tsukimori, who had started visibly, although he did not speak.

"It was my first year working for this hospital, and for training purposes, I was one of those sent to the accident site." He shuddered involuntarily, oblivious to Tsukimori's gaze. "It was not a pretty sight. There were two cars in the middle of the national highway, a column of other vehicles right behind them, unable to move forward or back. Of the two cars, one seemed more badly damaged than the other, apparently having flipped over several times before crashing into the pavement. Based on the bumper damage on the other car, we later surmised it was stationary when the first car smashed into it – hard."

"When we took Kahoko's testimony later on, she said the accident went like this." He raised both his hands at eye level, meeting Tsukimori's gaze as he prepared to explain. "Kahoko's car was following a much larger vehicle, driving at a rather high speed, when suddenly, the car in front swerved sharply to avoid a stationary car in front. Because they had been talking, Kahoko and the driver of the car didn't register the presence of the stationary car quickly enough, so the driver, a teenager named Etou Kiriya, was unable to avoid it."

Kaji made a motion with his hands, one smashing into the other and curling up.

"The impact was enough to propel the stationary car forward a few meters, and it was certainly enough to make Kahoko's car flip," he said, finally dropping his hands. "Fortunately, none of the passengers of the other car – a family of six on vacation – were inside when the crash happened, so all of them were saved. Kahoko, however, was badly injured; the driver Etou was dead on the spot."

"And the driver of the other car?" a ghostly pale Tsukimori inquired. Kaji shook his head; Tsukimori cursed under his breath.

"Upon receiving Kahoko as a patient, our first duty was to inform her family of what had happened to her," Kaji continued. "But because we couldn't find any ID's to determine who she was – the car had burst into flames minutes after she and Etou had been taken out – we had to depend on her fingerprints, so tracing her family took some time. When we were finally sure of her identity, she was already beginning to recover. As such, she asked us not to tell her family what had happened, because she reasoned she'd be back home soon anyway, and there was no need for them to worry."

Kaji sighed, an act which he realized he had been doing all evening.

"Three months into her stay in this hospital, she became strong enough to move her body. The first thing she asked for was a violin. When we finally found her one, she realized she could barely lift it, let alone play an entire song. I was there, watching her struggle," an odd, closed emotion flickered in his eyes. "I told her she was just not strong enough to play as she used to. I told her she'd be playing again soon enough…"

He stared into his hands, his words coming at a slower pace, the volume of his voice decreasing.

"More months passed. Kahoko… She didn't like staying in the hospital for so long. When I offered her an empty room in my house, she agreed – albeit with much hesitation. Winter was already fast approaching, and I could see her steadily losing hope with each day that passed. To cheer her up, I told her I would take her to Tokyo for a CT scan as soon as she could walk. This gave her the will to recover faster, and by December, she was relatively steady on her feet."

"We went to Tokyo General, hoping to understand why she was still unable to move her body properly. While we were in Tokyo, we, ahh, stayed in one room because we – er – were a bit short on funds," he added, flustering slightly, sneaking a peek at Tsukimori's face, whose expression hadn't changed. "We ran a CT scan on her a few days before Christmas… December 22, if memory serves. That same evening, we went to your house in Yokohama, but you were, um-"

"You went to my house?" Tsukimori said in an odd voice.

"Yes, but we didn't show ourselves to you because – well, I'm not really sure why," Kaji admitted, thoughtful. "I thought Kahoko didn't want to be seen in her condition – she was still very weak, and she couldn't stand properly. If you saw her, you would know something was very wrong. And then there was also the case of that, ahhh, girl you were playing a violin duet with. Kahoko seemed very agitated by that duet, you know, she kept mumbling about you breaking your promise or something along those lines…"

"Anyway, on the morning of the 25h," Kaji plowed on, pointedly ignoring Tsukimori, whose expression had turned sour at the last statement, "we were notified that Kahoko's results had come out. When we got to the hospital, and saw the test results, it turned out-"

Kaji paused.

"While it was true that Kahoko would one day be able to walk and move properly again, she would never be able to play the violin as well as she used to. The nerves of her left hand had been permanently injured after the car crash. I knew that, you know," he admitted to Tsukimori, not meeting the other man's eye. "I knew her left hand would never be the same again – I saw it in the initial scans we took in Mizuide. I just… hoped…"

Kaji trailed off, guilt on his eyes.

"It turned out paralysis was not the biggest problem we should have considered, however. When we took the CT scan, we found out that there were some abnormalities in her brain activity. Kahoko is normal," Kaji said, putting up a hand to calm Tsukimori, who had blanched visibly. "She's still the same person she used to be. Except she's been diagnosed with POF."

"POF?"

"Premature Ovarian Failure," Kaji supplied, unsmiling. "Basically, early menopause. In most cases, the origin of the condition is unknown, but I think in Kahoko's case it's safe to assume the accident caused it."

"But, what does it do-?"

"Risking oversimplification, POF causes women to have abnormal menstrual cycles. As the name suggests, the patient's ovaries malfunction, so the reproductive system fails to produce enough eggs to be considered normal. Symptoms include abnormal menstruation, energy loss, mood swings – the same symptoms a woman undergoing natural menopause experiences, only much worse."

"This means," Tsukimori said slowly, piecing together this newly acquired information, "Kahoko can't get pregnant."

"Not necessarily," the doctor negated. "About 6-8% of women with POF have the chance of becoming pregnant. But there's no saying who those women will be."

Kaji observed his companion for a while, watching as the other man struggled to cope with the burden of his fresh knowledge. Then, feeling there was more that Tsukimori had to know, he added, "We received that information on Christmas Day. That afternoon, you paid us a little visit in our hotel."

Tsukimori turned to him with slightly unfocused eyes.

"Don't tell me Kahoko-"

"Lied to you because of that, yes," Kaji said. "She fabricated the whole story about the two of us on-the-spot; even I was shocked upon hearing my name being dragged into your conversation. Personally, I believe she was just very confused by the realization that not only would she never be able to play the violin at your level, she also wouldn't be able to give you any children, should you decide to marry. She was only acting with your happiness in mind," Kaji added, smiling sadly.

"That is not a decision for _her _to make-!"

"Nevertheless, it has been made," Kaji said, clasping his hands before him. "And - no offense meant - you believed her much too easily. I think that made matters worse. Kahoko, I think, had been hoping you would fight for her. Knowing that woman, I'd say she was waiting for a sign that you _had to_ _know_. Maybe she felt you were giving up on her too easily, so she didn't think it was worth the fight…"

Tsukimori sighed, his icy façade finally crumbling as he held his head in his hands.

"If it makes you feel better, I think there have been times when she considered telling you," Kaji observed. "After she got her own house here in Mizuide, we still kept in close contact, and I would visit her often. In the few times she's ever mentioned you, she would have this strange, nostalgic look in her eyes, and sometimes she'd even pause for a few moments. I daresay… she still has very strong feelings for you, Tsukimori-san."

The two men's eyes met. Both pairs questioning - albeit one was confused and the other challenging. Tsukimori sighed, the first to drop his gaze. Standing up, he held the doctor's stare a second time and said, "Kaji, Aoi, you've only managed to confuse me more. But I must admit you've given me invaluable information. For that I thank you," he finished, bowing slightly.

"Ahhh, well, um," Kaji cleared his throat as he rose to his feet, a flush creeping up his neck. "I didn't tell you this for your own good, you know. I just want Kahoko to be happy, and I think – no, I believe – the only thing that will make her happy right now is getting back together with you."

With mild surprise, Kaji watched as Tsukimori's eyes deadened.

"Are you thinking about your girlfriend?"

At this, Tsukimori flushed. Coughing rather consciously, he said, "Again, thank you, Kaji-san. I'll do my best to fix things… my… mistakes."

On that vague note, Tsukimori Len bowed once more, turned on his heel and walked out of the cramped office, a very confused look on his face. Watching him go, Kaji Aoi stuffed his hands into his pockets, wondering if he had done the right thing. He _felt_ he had done the right thing; he _knew _it. Yet with the relief caused by sharing the burden of knowing, there was also a hollow emotion in his chest, a feeling caused by his becoming aware that now… there was no way she could ever be his.

Ruffling his hair, Kaji's face broke into a bittersweet smile. Now he had no excuse for straying away from his work. Sitting back down, he rearranged the papers on his table and began looking for the papers he had been working on before Tsukimori came. Then, with a jolt, he remembered the missing file.

Picking up the intercom, he dialed the number for the nurses' station. Someone picked up on the third ring; the woman's soft voice told him it was Hinata.

"Kaji-sensei?" the nurse asked, worry evident in her tone. "Do you need something?"

Kaji felt himself smile.

"Ah, no, actually, I just wanted to thank you for alerting me of Tsukimori-san's presence," he said, dimly aware of the heat that was creeping into his face. "You were right – I shouldn't have kept him waiting."

"Aaah, yes, you're welcome," replied Hinata, sounding very… odd. "Is there anything else…?"

Kaji blinked.

"Well, yes, there is something I'd like to ask," he said, suddenly remembering the reason for his call. "I just wanted to know – has anyone else been to my office lately? Hino-san's medical file is missing."

**A/N:**

If I may, I'd like to explain why Kahoko's having Premature Ovarian Failure is crucial to the story.

Just last year, a good friend of mine discovered she had POF – which explained why she hadn't menstruated in over two years. Her condition, which actually seems harmless from an outsider's point of view, came to the point where she had to undergo treatment, but the medication left her often tired and sleepy, and, basically, depressed – so depressed that she had to leave school halfway through the semester to rest and to cope with her newly discovered condition.

Admittedly, I didn't write this story for her – because I'm selfish that way – although I did base some circumstances of Kahoko's life on her experience. Actually, the main problem my friend faced was of a financial nature, but because I assumed Japan has a competent public health care system, I didn't think Kahoko would encounter the same dilemma. The only other issue my friend mulled over, aside from getting tired all the time, was that she has very little chance of getting pregnant, which is why she's reluctant to ever settle down. I'm aware it's not impossible for women with POF to get pregnant, and besides, many couples are happy even without natural-born children, but the fact of the matter is, my friend's condition made her consider the possibility of staying single forever. She was only 19 when she thought that; Kahoko was 20 when she developed POF. My friend has never even had a boyfriend; Kahoko had Len, who was ready to give up everything for her.

I'm willing to bet my _Harry Potter _books some readers will find Kahoko's reasons stupid. Having grown up in a culture that highly values a woman's ability to give birth and raise a family, however, I'd like to think her reasons are valid, if not relatable. Point is: I hope this clears up some confusion as to why her having POF is important. Without it, BTG wouldn't exist. (Well, okay, it would have existed, but then Kahoko would have ditched Len because Kaji Aoi got her pregnant. And no, I'm not kidding. That _was _the original plot for _BTG Rejected_.)

That aside, who noticed that halfway through the chapter Kaji Aoi turned into Kanazawa Hiroto? ::D

**PS:**

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much to everyone who's favorited this story. I'm going to disappoint you though – we've still got a long way to go. The "real" story's only getting started. I'm sorry for taking such a long time to warm up, but I really do hope to hear more from you from now on. I think I'm going to be writing some pretty pathetic attempts at romance in the next chapters, so please please please, tell me what you think of my work so I can improve on it. THANK YOU! ::D

**Revenge of the Footnotes:**

[1] _Animax Awards_. Fictional, as far as I know.

[2] _Les Miserables: The Dream Concert, AnAn_. Existing.


	9. Chapter 8: Acting on Impulse

**Bridging the Gap**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Chapter Eight: Acting on Impulse**

**A/N: **

Hello again! My summer has officially started so I'm celebrating by updating my fics. I've been reading a lot of REALLY good _Ghost Hunt _stories lately, which are sadly still in progress, so I know how frustrating it can be to wait for authors to update. Though I seriously doubt anyone's happiness depends on this fic, here it is, updated. ::)

On a more 'serious' note, as one reviewer (_Who Are We?_) pointed out, there are a lot of OC's in this story. Sorry! ::X I'm sure it bothers some of you, but really, it can't be helped. Anyway, before you start reading this chapter, I suggest you refresh your memory of Tsukimori's friends [descriptions of them found near the end of Chapter 2 should you wish to check] because the following scene will make your head spin if you don't know Takishima and the others well. Enjoy! ::D

[WARNING: The chapter you are about to read is virtually useless. LOOOONG, too.]

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own _La Corda d'Oro_; the whole concept belongs to Kure Yuki-sensei.

This fanfic is based on _Primo Passo_.

**Previously: **

**Chapter Seven: Man-to-Man**

_Tsukimori sighed, the first to drop his gaze. Standing up, he held the doctor's stare a second time and said, "Kaji, Aoi, you've only managed to confuse me more. But I must admit you've given me invaluable information. For that I thank you," he finished, bowing slightly. _

"_Ahhh, well, um," Kaji cleared his throat as he rose to his feet, a flush creeping up his neck. "I didn't tell you this for your own good, you know. I just want Kahoko to be happy, and I think – no, I believe – the only thing that will make her happy right now is getting back together with you."_

**Chapter Eight: Acting on Impulse**

The two young musicians stood by the seashore, both lost in thought. Her face wore an expression of anxiety; his face was an emotionless mask. As the wind lashed against them, flinging her long, brown hair all over the place, he turned to look at her. It was one of those few times Sawasaki Erisu looked utterly, inconsolably troubled. Worry did not befit her.

The sun was setting rapidly, creating a deep, dark pool of red on the surface of the ocean. Feeling the sudden chill in the air, Erisu wrapped her arms around herself, sighing heavily.

Tsukimori Len's eyebrows furrowed.

"What's wrong?"

His girlfriend turned to stare at him, an exaggerated pout on her lips.

"You've been AWOL since Christmas," she accused, half-playful. "And you only called me once in the past two weeks."

"I've been busy," Tsukimori replied in a low voice, turning to look away. "I'm sorry. I should have called you more."

"I actually don't mind," Erisu said, smiling slightly as she turned to gaze at the sea. "As long as we're together now, I don't mind."

_As long as we're together…_

Tsukimori cursed inwardly. This was even harder than he had imagined it to be.

"Erisu," he began, sharply turning to face her fully. "There's something I-"

To his surprise, Erisu had turned to face him as well, holding a hand up in front of him, her eyes filled with apprehension.

"Will you let me talk first?" she begged, voice uncharacteristically low. "I have a feeling if I don't get this out of my system now, I never will."

After a brief internal struggle to maintain a composed expression, Tsukimori nodded and let her speak.

"Six months ago," Erisu began, gaze trained away from Tsukimori, "I revived my research on Hino Kahoko. It was out of curiosity, I think, not jealousy. From the little I knew of her then, I didn't see her as the type who would end a relationship just like that. Her reason… did not satisfy me."

She sighed for a second time and irritably rubbed the back of her hand against her forehead.

"I guess what I'm really trying to say is, the real reason she wasn't able to meet you is that she got involved in a car accident," Erisu said heavily, more quickly. "The car she had been riding on was registered to an Etou Akihiko, a violin teacher who had been giving Kaho-san in-house training for almost a year. His brother, a teenager named Etou Kiriya, had been driving Kahoko to the train station when the accident happened. She survived, but unfortunately, he didn't. The day she was supposed to meet you, Hino Kahoko was recuperating in a hospital in Mizuide in Saga-ken, unconscious."

Erisu frowned, looking at Tsukimori with a suspicious glance.

"Why does your silence tell me you've heard all this before?" she asked, more to herself than to him. "You don't look the least bit surprised."

"I've been doing my own research," Tsukimori replied, holding her gaze. "I spoke with Kaji Aoi-"

"The doctor-?"

"Yes," Tsukimori confirmed. "He's told me everything about the accident."

It was such a vague statement that Erisu couldn't help searching his face for answers.

"Do you also know about-"

"Her illness? Yes," Tsukimori confirmed with a small nod. "Kaji explained that to me as well."

Even as Tsukimori's eyes shifted towards the sea, Erisu continued to stare at him, her expression thoughtful.

"That makes things easier then," she chirped in singsong suddenly, finally taking her eyes off him. "I was afraid I would have to explain everything to you bit per bit. Honestly, I was afraid you wouldn't let me finish my story. It's a relief to know you know the whole thing now…"

She was babbling, and they were both aware of it. An awkward silence followed, broken only by the waves crashing against the shore.

"Erisu," Tsukimori whispered. "I've been thinking a lot about-"

"I'm breaking up with you."

Shaken, Tsukimori turned confused eyes towards her, his lips parted in a small O of surprise. "What?"

"Let's break up," Erisu repeated, her hands balled into fists at her sides, voice cracking slightly. "Sever ties. Separate. Whatever it's called."

She caught Tsukimori's gaze, a questioning, pleading look in her eyes. And inexplicably, he understood.

_Kahoko, I think, had been hoping you would fight for her, _Kaji Aoi had said._ Knowing that woman, I'd say she was waiting for a sign that you had to know. Maybe she felt you were giving up on her too easily, so she didn't think it was worth the fight…_

Tsukimori took a sharp intake of breath, his eyes never breaking contact with hers.

"I-"

Realizing that words were useless to express what he wanted to say, he merely gave Erisu a small, hesitant smile. Seeing her face crumple, tears threatening to fall from the rims of her dark green eyes, he slowly reached out for her, cautiously pulling her into a tight embrace. Words, he knew, would fail.

So he merely hugged her as she sobbed into his shoulder, patting her back comfortingly, relieved that somehow, he didn't have to say the words that would break her heart.

Her heart breaking, however, was inevitable.

"Pathetic," she suddenly muttered through her sobs, pulling herself away. "You're pathetic, Tsukimori."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Back to using last names, are we?"

"You know, you really should join the rest of them," she added, ignoring him as she turned away, her fingers valiantly trying to wipe her steadily flowing tears. "If you leave now, you'll get there before midnight."

He considered staying behind with her; after all, he had just broken heart. Yet the little social interaction he had with select people had taught him that crying was sometimes best done alone. He gauged this was one of those moments.

"Yes," he heard himself agreeing vaguely. "I think I'll follow them…"

"They're in Aozu, aren't they?" Erisu said with her back still turned, voice thick as she spoke in between soft sniffles. "With firecrackers and enough alcohol to fill an aquarium? Stupid kids. They'll never grow up."

Despite himself, Tsukimori felt the corners of his mouth tug upwards into a smile.

"I can't say the same for you," he noted with amusement, only to be rewarded by a snort from Erisu. Raising his hand, he touched her shoulder one last time.

As his fingers met her skin, she flinched visibly and shuddered away. "I'm telling you! Don't make this more difficult than it already is…"

Silent, Tsukimori drew his hand away, staring at Erisu for a while longer, unsure of what to do. Then, just as he was about to speak and apologize for ending things so impassively, a firm hand touched his shoulder.

It was Naoto-san, looking at him with a mixture of sadness and understanding. Upon seeing Tsukimori's knitted eyebrows, the older man smiled, and squeezed his shoulder.

With a nod at Naoto-san and a final glance at Erisu, Tsukimori slowly walked away from the seashore, his footsteps noisy as he stepped on and crunched tiny seashells interspersed with the sand.

XXX

Beads of sweat formed around Hino Kahoko's forehead as she bit her lower lip, frustrated. In front of her, Oribe Heiji was locked in heavy concentration as well, his eyebrows scrunched up as he tried to read the reflection in his opponent's eyes. Taking one deep, inaudible breath, Kahoko lifted her hand, fingers shaking from the pressure of weighing her options.

_This one? No. The other one._

As she lifted the leftmost card, she saw Oribe's face fade into exasperation. With Oribe crying out in frustration, Kahoko peeked at the card she had chosen and grinned. Throwing a pair of aces on the table, she pumped one fist into the air as Oribe was forced to take her last card.

The crowd around them erupted in cheers and catcalls, the name-calling coming mostly from Sato. Kahoko stood up, and was instantly pulled into an enthusiastic hug by Nami, Mio and Shouko – as though winning a game of Old Maid equated to getting a gold medal in the Olympics. Meanwhile, Takishima, Shimizu, Hihara, Tsuchiura and the still obnoxiously jubilant Sato were taking turns putting lipstick marks on Oribe's face – his punishment for losing.

"Satoshi! Not there! Don't you dare put squiggly lines on me, you moron!" Oribe was shouting as he kicked his friend, his hands rendered useless as Tsuchiura Ryoutaro pinned them behind him. "You'll pay for this in the next round!"

"What makes you think there's a next round?" Takishima Makoto inquired mischievously.

"So you mean there's no next round? What is this - a setup?"

Laughing heartily with the rest, Sato Satoshi pleasantly handed Nami's bright red lipstick to the girls.

"Your turn!" he told them, grinning evilly.

As Kahoko surveyed the damage the guys had done, however, she felt further vandalism was impossible. They had already covered every possible portion of Oribe's face, such that even his eyelids had traces of lipstick behind them.

"Um, I think I'll pass," she said, laughing weakly, her hand held up.

"Me, too," Takato Mio and Fuuyumi Shouko said in unison, prompting them to look at each other and laugh.

"I really don't like the idea of wasting my lipstick even more, so no thanks," Nami said, playfully sour. "However, I think there's one person here who deserves the honor of making Oribe suffer…"

Following her gaze, the rest of the group looked at Kobayashi Nao, who was staring back at them solemnly and sullenly.

"Hmm, that's a good idea, Nami," Takishima agreed. "Kobayashi-san, if you would deign to vandalize our friend Oribe's face, I'm sure it would make him very happy. Very happy indeed."

Scowling at the leather-clad conductor, Nao took the lipstick from Sato and glared at Oribe as though this was all his fault. Gulping, Oribe merely blinked back at her, still unable to move now that Hihara Kazuki had joined Tsuchiura in restraining him.

With a heavy sigh, Nao raised the lipstick to her mouth and began applying it.

Stunned into silence, the rest of her friends simply looked on, frozen, as she smacked her lips together and handed the lipstick to Nami. Before anyone could say anything, she had walked over to where Oribe was standing, immobile just as the others were.

In one swift movement, she stood on tiptoe, hand on his shoulder, and planted a kiss on his lips.

Utterly amazed, no one dared to move or make a sound; it seemed as if they had all ceased breathing, their eyes focused on the unlikely scene before them. Oribe, out of character, was standing in open-mouthed shock, his hands limp at his sides because his guards had been so astonished they had involuntarily released him. Nao, for her part, was staring at him determinedly, a mad sort of fire dancing in her eyes as she challenged him to make a move and prove, against everyone's belief, including hers, that for the first time in his life he was serious about a girl.

They would have gone on staring at each other - their friends staring at them, too - if Yunoki Azuma and Fujioka Rumi had not turned up wearing mildly confused expressions.

"What's going on?" Yunoki Azuma inquired calmly, trying to interpret the shock on his friends' faces. "What's happened?"

"Uh, Yunoki-senpai?" Tsuchiura, the first to recover, managed to say, tearing his gaze off the couple in front of him. "You've arrived. Um. Y-You have the fireworks?"

"Yes, we left them in the car," Rumi said, her eyebrows still raised in confusion. "We were hoping some of you could help us get them…"

"W-We'll go help!" Nami suddenly exclaimed, her eyes darting to Nao and Oribe every few nanoseconds. "Takishima, come on. Time to be useful!"

Distracted, Takishima scowled at Nami, who had grabbed hold of his wrist and was now dragging him forcefully towards the direction from which Rumi and Yunoki had come. The rest of the men followed, except Oribe, who, upon having his consciousness finally drift back to reality, frowned at Nao, and in one fluid motion, tugged at her hand, leading her to the woods near the villa.

Still shaken, the women stared at their retreating backs, until Kahoko finally croaked out, "Why… don't we prepare the food?"

"Food…" Mio repeated, as though the word was unfamiliar, her eyes oddly glassy. "Yes."

Frowning at Mio, Rumi took her hand, gave it a squeeze and slowly led her to the tables laden with food. Exchanging an amused look, Shouko and Kahoko began to follow them, chatting quietly.

"That was quite the surprise," Shouko noted calmly, although her eyes were glinting happily. "You think they'll make a good couple?"

"They're polar opposites in terms of personality," Kahoko said slowly, thinking. "But yeah, I guess they could work out. If Nao gets past her distrust of him, that is."

"And if Oribe-san is serious."

"Oh, I think he is," Kahoko replied sincerely, nodding slightly to herself. "From what Takishima's told me, he's never pursued any other girl… this… persistently before-"

She suddenly felt the air pressing in on her, the shock making her breath irregular. The world began to tilt to one side, and everything around her changed, becoming darker, edges softening. Sensing her body weaken, Kahoko flung an arm out to hold on to something to steady herself – but there was nothing. As her knees gave way, she closed her eyes, expecting to hit the ground as she often had in previous occasions.

Before her face made contact with anything solid, an arm had held on to her.

"Kaho-senpai?" Shouko's voice, panicked, asked in shrill tones. "Kaho-senpai, what's wrong?"

"Oh my God," Mio called out, sounding very distant. "Kaho-?"

"What happened?" Rumi's authoritative voice inquired, as another hand help Kahoko up, the grip tighter than Mio's.

"I don't know…" Shouko replied, sounding close to tears. "She just… fell…"

Kahoko tried to open her eyes. Even after she had them open though, she still couldn't make out the shapes in front of her. Everything seemed very hazy.

"I'll take her to the villa to rest," someone – the voices were becoming more difficult to distinguish now – said. "The two of you go on to prepare the food."

Before Kahoko could protest and say that she could walk up to the villa herself, someone gripped her shoulder and encircled her waist, leading her slowly toward Aozu. In between breaths, Kahoko tried to say things, to say she was all right, but her companion would only shush her mildly, and lead her on.

Before she knew it, she was sinking into a soft couch, her sight slowly becoming clearer, and her breath coming at more regular intervals.

"Rumi?" she asked weakly, seeing the silhouette of someone kneeling close to her, watching her. "Rumi-san?"

"Sssh," Rumi chided softly, putting a hand on her shoulder to silence her. "Don't talk. You're only straining yourself."

"But I'm all right now," Kahoko said, convinced of the truth behind her words. "Really, I'm fine, it was nothing-"

"Don't. Move."

Perhaps sensing that her charged would attempt to sit up, Rumi had Kahoko pinned to the couch. Seeing the serious look on Rumi's face, Kahoko tried to explain, "No, really, I'm-"

"Try to get some rest," Rumi told her, keeping her grip tight. "You're in no position to join the festivities right now, but if you regain your strength, maybe you can join later."

Kahoko pouted. "At least wake me up in time for the fireworks."

Even in the dark, Kahoko could see Rumi smile.

"Of course," she said, cocking her head to one side as she continued watching Kahoko. "Of course we'll wake you up."

Cracking a small smile, Kahoko closed her eyes and willed herself to calm down. Despite all that she had told Rumi, she was, in truth, strangely, inexplicably exhausted.

Even as sleep began to envelop her, she could still feel Rumi's hand holding her own – the grip strong, but soft at the same time.

XXX

_Kahoko had a very weird dream. _

_In it, Mio and Sawasaki Erisu, her "frienemy", were playing Old Maid, both wearing jester hats that jingled each time their heads moved. Just as the two were getting down to their last cards, Kahoko, who had been eagerly waiting to see who would win, suddenly found herself in a large, brightly-lit performance hall like the ones used by large orchestras. Onstage, however, was not a group of musicians; it was Takishima Makoto, standing in front of a table filled with all sorts of wasabi containers imaginable. _

_Takishima grinned at the audience, which consisted mostly of adoring old women fawning at his every gesture, before saying, "Ladies and ladies, witness the greatest show on Earth. I, Takishima Makoto, will now swallow an entire table's worth of wasabi to prove… well, to prove Amou Nami WRONG!"_

_Still grinning in that creepy, unchanging way, Takishima took one particularly tall bottle of wasabi, unscrewed it, and stared at it as though sizing it up. Before he could bring the bottle up to his mouth, however, the lights flickered and switched off, plunging the entire hall in darkness. _

_Kahoko, shocked, stood up. She expected the old women around her to rise as well, perhaps even panicking that the lights had suddenly died. But there was no activity, no sound, and even the chairs around Kahoko had suddenly vanished. Feeling confused, but not exactly scared, Kahoko moved forward, walking on without a specific direction, until she saw a bright light pooling around a figure sitting up ahead, hunched over something. _

_As she approached the figure_, _she dimly registered his dark, expensive-looking clothes, his self-assured posture and his altogether imposing air. But of all the stranger's features, there was one that captured Kahoko's attention the most. _

That hair, _she told herself. _I know someone with that hair.

_Raising a hand, reaching for the man, she felt him stir and turn his head to look at her. His cerulean blue hair was uncharacteristically windswept, but even so, Kahoko thought he still looked positively dashing. Especially with those topaz eyes looking at her - her only. _

"_Len?" Kahoko whispered, reaching out. _

To her surprise, he caught her cold hand with his strangely warm one. In fact, his touch seemed rather realistic. Much too realistic for just a dream.

With a small gasp, she realized she wasn't dreaming. He really was there, sitting on the couch where she slept, watching her with quiet topaz eyes as the moonlight illuminated him and the rest of the room.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE?" she cried, instantly pulling her hand away. "You're supposed to be with Eri-chan… somewhere..." Her disoriented mind tried to process exactly what Takishima had said about him not being there, but in the end, she was still too sleepy to think straight.

"I decided to celebrate here-"

"No, no," Kahoko interrupted, waving his reply aside. "I mean, why are you _here _in this living room-?"

_Watching me sleep…_

"You were the first thing I saw when I entered the house," Tsukimori replied, unfazed. "I was wondering why you were here when everyone else seems to be having fun outside."

Kahoko frowned. Judging by the sounds of laughter and party music coming from the garden, it did seem as if the others were having fun. It was a miracle she had slept through all that noise and merrymaking.

_Still_, she thought, sneaking a suspicious glance at Tsukimori as she sat up properly, hugging her legs and trying to sit as far away from him as possible. _What about Erisu? _

"She told me to come here," Tsukimori suddenly said, as though reading Kahoko's mind. "She's in Nagoya right now, at her family's villa."

Although he had spoken in his usual monotone, with emotionless eyes, something told Kahoko something was very wrong. Before she could properly ask him exactly what had happened, however, the door to the garden opened, and a pair of footsteps broke the silence.

"KA~HO~KO!" Nami shouted in singsong, prompting both Tsukimori and Kahoko to snap their heads to her direction. "KAHOKO, WAKE UP!"

She looked positively drunk, her face red in the glow of the moonlight, a carefree grin on her face. With her was Takishima Makoto – the two of them seemed inseparable these days – watching her in a highly amused way, a small smile on his face as he reached for her hand. His face fell, however, when he saw Tsukimori.

"Len?" he said in a low voice, unsure. "What are you doing here?"

"What?" Nami asked, distracted. Following Takishima's gaze, she saw Tsukimori, who had risen to his feet, her jaw dropping promptly. "Tsukimori Len! You're not supposed to be here."

"Well, I am," Tsukimori replied calmly. To Takishima, he said, "I was wondering if I could join you."

Upon hearing this, Takishima's expression suddenly turned angry - definitely angrier than Kahoko had ever seen him. Tsukimori, however, looked as if he had been expecting this reaction, and responded to the sudden change in his friend's mood merely by standing a little straighter, his gaze suddenly wary.

Feeling the tension emanating from both men, Kahoko decided she had to step in.

"Sorry for making you guys worry!" she cried suddenly, pushing herself off the couch and bounding up to a very confused Nami and a positively seething Takishima. "I'm fine now though, so no worries. Are the fireworks about to start?"

She put an arm around Takishima and Nami, pulling them gently towards the garden. Mercifully, Takishima did not shake her away, although he didn't seem too eager to leave either. Encouraged, Kahoko turned to smile at him, only to see that he was still glaring at Tsukimori. Desperate, she turned to Nami, who, upon taking one look at her face, understood what she wanted to do.

"Come on, Ma~ko~to," Nami said as she moved away from Kahoko and took both Takishima's hands. "Didn't you say you wanted to see the first fireworks lit?"

Dazedly, Takishima shifted his gaze to Nami, whose grin had begun to fade.

"Takishima," she said, suddenly serious. "It's almost midnight. We're only wasting time here. Whatever it is you want to talk about, can't it wait a few minutes?"

She gave his hands a visible squeeze, and with a jolt, Kahoko realized that what started out as a joke had become something more.

_Why is everyone pairing off tonight-?_

"You're right," Takishima agreed, breathing heavily and taking one last look at Tsukimori. "Come on, Nami, Hino-san. Let's have a blast!"

Kahoko laughed when she saw his old grin return. Nami, meanwhile, frowned, saying, "You have the corniest sense of humor, I swear-"

"Heeey. That's not fair!"

As she, Takishima and Nami began walking toward the garden, Kahoko glanced at Tsukimori. He was looking at the three of them silently, rooted to the spot. Upon seeing Kahoko staring at him, worried, he gave her a faint smile, before nodding and gesturing that he would follow them soon.

Smiling faintly back at him, Kahoko tightened her grip on Takishima's arm, allowing him to lead her outside.

"There they are!" Hihara exclaimed in his usual loud voice as he saw the three people approaching. "We wondered what took you so long. What happened, Kaho-chan?"

"Ahhhh," Kahoko trailed off, unsure of _exactly _what had happened. "I… didn't eat lunch."

"And why didn't you?" Nao asked accusatorily. Kahoko tried her best to downplay the fact that she was standing close, far too close, to Oribe.

"I was too excited?" she offered. "I didn't feel like eating?"

"Why you-!"

Before she could protest, Tsuchiura had started ruffling her hair, an exasperated look on his face.

"That wasn't very nice, you know?" he told her, voice low. "Next time you feel like torturing yourself, think of us, all right? I swear one of us almost had a stroke when he heard you had collapsed."

He threw a dirty look at Hihara, who promptly flustered and coughed rather throatily.

Laughing nervously, Kahoko distanced herself from Tsuchiura as subtly as she could; after all, she had vowed to stay away from him. Seeing the hurt look in his eyes – _so he had noticed _– Kahoko said out loud, "I'm sorry, okay? I promise to try and eat properly from now on – even if I have to eat chocolates after every meal just to boost my appetite."

Amidst the disbelieving snorts that followed Kahoko's declaration, Shimizu suddenly said, "I think I see Tsukimori-senpai."

As one, the people in the garden turned to look at the villa, from which Tsukimori was, in fact, emerging.

"He's not supposed to be here," Sato said, frowning, speaking mostly to himself. "What's he doing here?"

He exchanged a meaningful look with Takishima, who merely sighed heavily and, with forced cheer, clapped his hands together and said, "It's a few minutes to midnight! Are the fireworks in order?"

This prompted curses from several guilty parties – mainly Tsuchiura and Hihara, who had been assigned to handle the pyrotechnics. As Tsukimori turned to join the group, Sato raised an eyebrow at him; he replied to the nonverbal question by shaking his great blue head. Purposefully standing close to Kahoko now that Takishima was busy with preparations, he saw confusion etched on her face, as though she found his behavior weird.

Personally aware that he _was_, indeed, acting rather strangely, he chose to stay quiet, accepting the champagne Mio offered with a simple nod of his head.

Across the courtyard, standing beside Nao, Oribe was staring at him blankly. Yunoki, who stood nearby, was trying to focus on a discussion with his fiancée, failing each time as his eyes darted towards Kahoko and Tsukimori standing so close together. Shimizu was, as always, lost in his own world, although a frown was on his face as he distractedly watched the rest of the group crowd around the fireworks. Tsuchiura, meanwhile, seemed unable to focus on what he was doing, leaving the entire task to Hihara, who was animatedly working with Sato and Takishima. As he raised his eyes, his gaze met Tsukimori's, and a look of understanding passed between the two men.

Suddenly, Tsuchiura's face cracked into a bittersweet smile. Shaking his head, looking very much like an old man, he stepped aside, taking a good look at his wristwatch.

"Any minute now!" he announced, his deep voice booming. "Ten- Nine-"

"Eight! Seven!" the rest followed suit. "Six! Five!"

"Four!" Nami called out of turn, laughing hysterically as she carelessly threw her arms around Mio and Nao.

"Three! Two!" Kahoko saw Shouko and Shimizu exchange a quiet, simple glance that nevertheless spoke volumes. She saw him lean towards her, saw her standing on tiptoe to meet him-

"ONE!" A fresh bottle of champagne burst open in Yunoki's hands, spraying foam on him and a genuinely ecstatic Rumi.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

On cue, fireworks burst into multicolored lights in the dark sky above them, momentarily blinding Kahoko and causing her to shield her eyes. Laughing at herself, she forced her gaze up again, just in time to see a beautiful arc of gold and green erupt, putting the stars to shame. A minute or two into the show, however, Kahoko realized she could watch fireworks anywhere – what she might never be able to see again was the expression on her friends' faces. Grinning, she pulled her eyes back down to Earth.

Before she could properly look around though, she found her gaze being drawn to Tsukimori, as though magnetized. To her immense embarrassment – which she hoped did not show on her face – he was looking at her with those eyes she had seen a lot of lately, although the expression in them was new, unfamiliar.

The look of undisguised bliss.

"Happy new year," he whispered, his voice audible even with the noise of the fireworks, the stereo blaring, their friends' laughter.

"H-happy new year," Kahoko stammered, sure that her cheeks had burst into flame the moment he spoke. Mentally kicking herself, she tore her gaze away, turning to the rest of her friends just as a blur appeared beside her, walking swiftly towards Tsukimori.

It was Takishima. If he had looked angry earlier, he looked murderous now.

Without a word, he grabbed Tsukimori by the elbow, pulling away from the crowd. Tsukimori, who was visibly frowning, didn't seem to be struggling. After a moment, he flung Takishima's hand away, causing the other to glare at him even more venomously.

As Kahoko motioned to interfere, however, the noise overhead stopped, and someone grabbed her wrist, pulling her away.

"Come on, Kaho-chan!" Hihara Kazuki said, a bundle of energy as always. "Let's dance!"

"B-but, Kazuki-"

Unable to hear her objection over the noise of the stereo – which apparently had been switched to maximum volume – he took both her hands and twirled her dramatically around the makeshift dance floor. Momentarily forgetting Tsukimori and Takishima, Kahoko involuntarily let out a delighted laugh, which prompted Hihara to catch her and dip her so low she could see the sky and the last of the fireworks. Thinking she was going to fall, Kahoko struggled to right her bearings, an action that caused her knees to buckle, catching Hihara off guard. As both of them fell on top of the grass, Kahoko still deliriously happy, Hihara turning so red he looked ready to emit steam, the dancing pair of Oribe and Nao tripped over them, and overbalanced.

Trying to avoid collision, Tsuchiura, who had been standing nearby with a can of beer, hastily stood aside with a yelp, bumping into Rumi who whirled around only to have beer flying into her face. Initially shocked and horrified, she blinked several times, causing Tsuchiura to stammer an apology. At the sound of Yunoki bursting into laughter, however, Rumi's face broke into a grin, and she lifted a fist to hammer at her fiancé, who mischievously wrapped her in a tight embrace.

Watching the disastrous events she had caused, Kahoko stood up groggily, tears leaking out of her eyes as she doubled over laughing. She saw Nami standing nearby, and raised a hand to steady herself. Her friend, however, was staring at something up ahead, her eyes round and panicked.

"Oh my God," she saw rather than heard Nami say.

Before Kahoko could ask what was wrong, she saw Oribe rush past her, followed by Shimizu and Sato. All three of them looked horribly serious – too horribly serious for New Year's Eve. Seeing where they were headed, Kahoko's blood froze. Farther on, almost near the villa, stood Takishima and Tsukimori. As she watched, horrified, Takishima landed a square punch on Tsukimori's face, hitting him so hard he fell.

The most disturbing fact of the matter – aside from best friends, two normally rational people, dueling physically – was that Tsukimori did not even bother to defend himself.

Hihara and Tsuchiura ran past Kahoko just as Shimizu and Sato managed to restrain Takishima before he could take another swing. As Tsukimori slowly pulled himself up, spitting blood and sporting a split lip, Oribe placed himself between his two friends, holding his hands up to separate them.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" he shouted, looking very much unlike the easygoing guy he usually was. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

"Ask him!" Takishima yelled, pointing at Tsukimori, finger shaking – but not out of fear. "Ask him what he's _done_!"

Frantically, Oribe looked at Tsukimori, demanding an explanation. The latter, however, merely cursed and wordlessly turned on his heel to walk up to the villa, marching with heavy footsteps past Hihara and Tsuchiura.

"Tsukimori-"

Tsuchiura put a hand to his shoulder, a gesture which the violinist rudely brushed off.

"YA, TSUKIMORI!" Oribe bellowed, hands balling into fists. "You don't brush friends off just like that-!"

"No, let him!" Takishima interrupted, shaking himself loose of Shimizu and Sato. "He always walks off because he's a coward. He left his girlfriend in Japan because he was afraid to take risks. Now, he's exiting a relationship the easy way out-"

Tsuchiura and Hihara jumped in front of Tsukimori as the latter whipped around viciously to respond to the accusation.

"It's not as if you're fit to give advice," he snarled, eyes glinting ominously. "When you've never taken a relationship seriously. Not since Ruriko-"

"Don't you dare use that against me!" Takishima retorted, pointing another accusing finger at Tsukimori. "At least she knew what she was getting into. You should _never _have allowed Erisu to hope in the first place!"

At this, Tsukimori stood rooted to the spot, eyes deadening; the comment had hit home. Expression carefully wiped blank, he turned his back again and resumed his walk to the villa. There was no one who stopped him this time, as everyone was too shocked by the implication of Takishima's words.

_That means… he and Erisu… broke up?_

Holding Nami in a deathgrip, Kahoko realized her heartbeat had speeded up tenfold. A wave of emotions had cascaded into her consciousness, leaving her helpless, lost and utterly confused. On the one hand, she pitied Erisu, who was still human despite her flaws, and despised Tsukimori, who had apparently ended things so coldly. On the other hand, however, she couldn't deny there was a tiny part of her that felt something akin to relief. Was it… hope?

A frustrated yell interrupted Kahoko's thoughts. Takishima had thrown his hands up in anger, stomping away opposite the direction Tsukimori had taken. As Sato made a move to follow, Takishima put a hand up and, obviously fighting for calm, said, "Just. Let me think."

As Takishima walked away with several pairs of confused and worried eyes fixed on him, the atmosphere of the party transformed drastically. Everyone now stood awkwardly around each other, some searching for answers in each others' eyes, others avoided inquiring gazes.

Suddenly, the music stopped. As one, the group turned its eyes towards the stereo, where Yunoki had his hand on the switch. Given the weight of the incident that had just taken place, he looked disturbing calm and collected – a polar opposite to the rest of them. Placing his hand back down, he caught Rumi look at him in worry; he gave her a small, reassuring smile before he turned to his friends. Seeing that they were all agitated and bewildered, he smiled at them serenely as well, before his gaze landed on Kahoko. As her eyebrows rose in reaction to the intensity of his stare, he suddenly smiled.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," he said simply. "They'll fix things on their own."

"You're probably right," Oribe agreed, although he didn't sound too sure. "It's just that they've never fought before – not this violently…"

Kahoko looked away from Yunoki. It was eerie the way he had kept his gaze on her the entire time he had spoken. Why did he look at her like that? Did he think she was the cause of all this commotion?

Trying to smile at Nami, who was looking at her with worried eyes, she told herself it was not her fault. It was not her fault.

But knowing that Yunoki Azuma was still staring at her made her feel inexplicably guilty, a mood that lasted the rest of the day. What a kick-off to the New Year.

**A/N:**

CHEEEEEESY. Sorry! ::X

Re: story-related things, I need help, guys! ::X What do you think Tsukimori would have in mind to make himself closer to Kahoko? A date? The be-her-friend inside job tactic? Moreover, do you think he was OOC, the way he dumped Erisu so readily? What do you think he feels about it, guilty or apathetic? Finally, what does Kahoko feel about _le breakup_? Do you think she's acting too hopeful? Too heartless? Too unbelievably selfish? I really don't know. ::(

**PS:**

Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, especially those who have said that they like _BTG _very much! Thank you thank you THANK YOU SO MUCH! ::D There's still quite a bit to go through, though. ::X


	10. Chapter 9: Hellos, Goodbyes

**Bridging the Gap**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Chapter Nine: Hellos, Goodbyes**

**A/N:**

_BTG _is back! Things have gotten a little crazy in the real world, so I haven't been able to update, but here it is! Chapter Nine! ::D The usual apology: I'm sorry if it's a bit crazier than usual – then again, if you've made it this far, you've probably gotten used to the eccentricities of this story, eh? Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading BTG! ::D

Also, regarding the chronological order of the chapters of this fic, I realize I've confused you very much by not putting in dates. So to clarify: This fic starts in the month of August and will end in April. The Prologue and Chapter 1 take place in August, Chaps 2 and 3 in September, Chaps 4 and 5 in October, Chap 6 in November, Chap 7 in December, and Chap 8 on New Year's Eve. I haven't changed any of the past posts for this fic, so I'm afraid they're going to remain in their highly confusing state. Still I hope you'll enjoy the last few chapters of _Bridging the Gap_ – thanks for all the support, guys!

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own _La Corda d'Oro_; the whole concept belongs to Kure Yuki-sensei.

This fanfic is based on _Primo Passo_.

**Previously: **

**Chapter Eight: Acting on Impulse**

_At this, Tsukimori stood rooted to the spot, eyes deadening; the comment had hit home. Expression carefully wiped blank, he turned his back again and resumed his walk to the villa. There was no one who stopped him this time, as everyone was too shocked by the implication of Takishima's words._

_That means… he and Erisu… broke up?_

**Chapter Nine: Hellos, Goodbyes**

_January_

"Are you sure this isn't another one of your crazy ideas?"

The lobby of the Tokyo Grand was imposing enough to force Kahoko into a pseudo-crouch as she tiptoed past the ten-foot high front doors. Slim phone pressed to her ear, she tried to stay as dignified as she could, a task which proved to be difficult considering her inner child desperately wanted to turn around and run the way she had come from. Of all the places she had ever been to for a job interview, this one topped the list in terms of lavishness; not even the stint with FBC, her biggest one so far, provided a conference area this luxurious.

The prospect of fame and fortune did not appeal to Kahoko at all. In fact, it terrified her to bits.

"_Relax_," Hakuba Kenjirou cooed into her ear from the other end of the line. Was it just Kahoko or did he seem like he was only humoring her? "This is just a tiny gig. No frills, nothing to worry about-"

"You call the Tokyo Grand a place for _a tiny gig_?"

"It's just a job interview," Hakuba retorted defensively. "No one said anything about putting up an event at the Tokyo Grand…"

Kahoko resisted the intense urge to roll her eyes at the ceiling – lest she'd see the ornate chandelier and collapse into a hyperventilating heap. "Which reminds me, Hakuba-san," she crooned, trying for sweetness. "Since when have I ever been a party planner? We're marketing me as a composer, remember?"

"Diversifying your range is important in this business," came the unfeeling reply. "And don't argue with your manager-"

"Ken, it's your turn."

The familiar voice echoing through the receiver made Kahoko stop in her tracks.

"Kaji-sensei?" she exclaimed, momentarily forgetting the fact that she was standing smack in the middle of one of the most expensive hotels in Tokyo. "Hakuba-san is Kaji-sensei with you?"

"Uhhhh, yeah. You wanna talk to him? Here-"

Sounds of confusion, a phone being passed from one hand to another, the distant trill of wind chimes – Kahoko could almost see her two friends sitting in Kaji's homey living room in his pad. There would be a chess set between the two of them, with two steaming mugs of coffee by their sides, abandoned due to the utmost concentration they were devoting to their game. An array of pillows would be scattered around Hakuba's feet, the plumpest one held tight in his arms – for punching whenever one of his pieces were eaten. Kaji would be seated with his hands gripping his knees, emerald eyes fixed on the board as though willing it to change - isolated from the rest of the world, and existing in a sphere only he knew of…

Suddenly - throat clearing, a deep intake of breath.

"Hello?" Kaji Aoi spoke in his clear, crisp tones. "Kahoko?"

"Kaji-sensei, hello!" Kahoko chirped into the speaker breathlessly, a smile instantly appearing on her face. "It's been a long time – how are you?"

"I should be the one asking you that," Kaji joked, laughing good naturedly. In her mind's eye, Kahoko could see his eyes crinkling, laugh lines appearing on his forehead, his cheeks betraying distinct dimples on both sides. How she wished she could return to Mizuide…

"How have you been?" Kaji inquired nonchalantly, not knowing the full impact of his simple question on Kahoko. "You haven't been calling me lately – is something wrong?"

_Work. Shimizu and Shouko. Erisu. Len. _Kahoko bit her lip and tried to find a suitable answer.

"I collapsed on New Year's Eve _again_," she complained, exaggerating off mark and sounding, even to herself, like a spoiled tween-age drama queen. Collecting her senses, she hastily added, "I mean, I kind of got too excited for the Countdown that I forgot to eat lunch that afternoon-"

"Silly girl," Kaji chided gently, although Kahoko could tell he was worried. "Have you-?"

"Gone to see my specialist? Yes," she supplied proudly. "See? I'm taking good care of myself, just like I told you I would."

Kahoko heard him ease into a smile. In the background, Hakuba was muttering something unintelligible.

"Well, I'm glad you're finally following your doctor's advice," Kaji told her playfully, speaking the way a patronizing adult would to a precocious child. "Don't forget to drink your vitamins, and get enough sleep-"

"Yes, yes-"

"-and exercise twice or thrice a week, even if it's just a walk around the block."

"Do I _have_ to?"

Kaji laughed again – prompting Hakuba to scream out loud, "It's your turn, A-kun! Stop making me wait! Kahoko, stop distracting him!"

"Say, Kahoko," Kaji plowed on, ignoring his friend's outburst. "Hakuba tells me Tsukimori Len's girlfriend is also part of your cast." A pregnant pause. "Is that… all right with you?"

"Um."

_Where to begin? _Apparently, Hakuba still hadn't gotten wind of the fact that Erisu and Tsukimori had broken up. Which was surprising, given he worked for a man who made a living out of romantic tragedy.

"Yeah, it's all right," Kahoko lied, words slurring ever so slightly. "Eri-chan's cool, really professional. In fact, I've never heard anyone play the way she does. I guess students trained abroad really have an edge over their local competitors, huh?"

Silence. Kaji seemed to be engaging in his favorite hobby of analyzing everything Kahoko said.

"I see…" He finally spoke after a while. "And does this Eri-chan… know about you and Tsukimori-?"

"," Kahoko said in a rush, as a heat wave washed over her entire body. "."

Without waiting for Kaji to reply, Kahoko flipped her phone shut, and, face horribly flustered, turned to look at a lady who was beckoning her to come close.

"Hino Kahoko-sama," the woman - really no more than a girl - bowed, a graceful fluid motion to which Kahoko replied with her signature sloppy semi-bend. "Kasuga Yui desu. I am the assistant of the person you are about to meet. She has been eagerly anticipating your arrival."

"I'm sorry I'm a bit late," Kahoko replied, suddenly apologetic even though her companion was obviously much younger than herself. "I got a bit lost, and I… ran into a few mishaps…"

"It's perfectly all right," Kasuga assured her with a smile. "Although I suggest we start making our way to the venue, if that's all right with you..."

"Oh!" Kahoko exclaimed, jumping slightly. "Y-yes, of course! Please. Lead the way."

After another brief exchange of bows, the two women walked towards the elevator corridor, where Kasuga, with an efficiency Kahoko did not expect given her tiny frame, summoned an elevator almost instantly. As the two stepped into the steel box, their backs to the wall, the elevator lurched upward in a smooth motion, giving Kahoko ample time to think.

"Kasuga-san," she spoke suddenly, realizing this was the perfect opportunity to get information on her prospective employer. "If I may ask… why all this secrecy? I mean," Kahoko gesticulated wildly to correct her gaffe, "why couldn't your boss just come out in the open?"

Kasuga stared at Kahoko with round, innocent eyes. She appeared to be considering the question seriously.

"If I answered your question," Kasuga began, speaking slowly, "I would lose my job."

She smiled, her eyes twinkling as though she found the universe immensely hilarious. "Have faith, Hino-san. You are about to find out all you have to know."

The elevator opened into an elegant marble hallway illuminated by shell-patterned lamps and lined with ornate vases filled with exotic flowers of varying scents and shades. Distracted both by the sudden attack on her senses and the palpable mystery of Kasuga's words, Kahoko could only stand frozen as Kasuga daintily stepped out into the corridor. At the sound of her companion's heels clicking purposefully, Kahoko snapped out of her reverie; this was not the time to be daydreaming. Mentally shaking herself awake, she turned to follow her guide, who wordlessly stood a few feet away, an expression of extreme amusement playing in her eyes.

She decided not to ask any further questions; she doubted Kasuga would feel obliged to answer them anyway. Even without a formal concept of the truth, however, Kahoko felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, a slowing down in her heart rate as they approached twin wooden doors that towered above her and her companion, seeming capable of swallowing them whole. Sucking in a deep breath, she watched Kasuga put a hand on one of the golden door handles, forcing the door to swing open, welcoming them to the room beyond with a blast of bright light.

Stepping forward, eyes closed at the intensity of the glow, Kahoko became distinctly aware of Tchaikovsky's _Walzer Aus Dornroschen_ playing from high definition stereos strategically placed around what sounded like a ballroom. [1] As she slowly opened her eyes, blurs flying into her line of sight from infinite directions, she dimly registered a crowd of people gathered around tables laden with food and wine. This shocked her immensely; she didn't think she would be attending an actual party.

Even more disturbing was the fact that Kahoko _knew _these people – not personally, but by reputation. There were members of prominent local and foreign orchestras, pop singers and teenage idols, household names from several generations back – it seemed a marketplace where fame and musical talent were the main mediums of exchange.

And at the corner of her eye, Kahoko spotted a familiar blue head standing next to the international conductor Chiaki Shinichi by the chocolate fountain – Hamai Misa. She should have known.

As though she had sensed Kahoko's arrival - if she had not been expecting it - Hamai suddenly broke away from her conversation with Chiaki and directed her attention to the woman standing nervously by the doors. Instantly, her face lit up with a smile. With a small wave, she motioned for Kahoko to wait exactly where she stood, something Kahoko did not intend to do.

For she had realized, finally, who was behind all these machinations. Worse, she put two and two together and figured out that if his mother was the mastermind of this whole scheme, then Tsukimori must be somewhere in this room as well. Ignoring all norms of etiquette and propriety, Kahoko spun on her heel and began to make her way to the exit.

She would have made it out of the hall safely had she not collided headlong into the man she had been running away from in the first place.

"Kahoko," Tsukimori Len said by way of greeting, silently watching as Kahoko jumped back several steps, blushing furiously. "You're… here."

"Y-yes, I am," Kahoko repeated dumbly, mind racing full speed to process the fact that he had just addressed her by her first name. _Not Hino_. "Uh…. You're… here, too?"

"Yes," Tsukimori replied, raising a thin, pale finger to scratch his cheek. Had Kahoko been sane enough to notice, she might have observed that he appeared a tad overwhelmed himself. "My mother is hosting this event, so…"

At almost the same instant, both looked away in opposing directions; him paying decidedly close attention to the lights on the low ceiling, and her finding the tips of her French manicured feet oddly fascinating. Before Kahoko could open her mouth in an attempt to assuage the awkwardness of the situation, and possibly make a fool of herself – not that Tsukimori was in a state where he was bound to notice minute details – Hamai Misa glided in between the two of them, a benevolent smile on her face as she regarded both with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Kaho-san, I'm so glad you could come!" Hamai exclaimed, sounding genuinely happy to see Kahoko. "I'm sorry for all the secrecy, but, well… Let's talk properly, shall we?"

Turning to her son in a commanding yet gentle way only she could express, she lightly placed a hand on his arm and told him, "Len, kindly get Kaho-san something to drink. And," taking into consideration the apparent threat of Kahoko developing a heat stroke, the way she seemed to be emitting steam, "be liberal with the ice, won't you?"

Flashing her rather dazed son a bright smile, Hamai Misa led Kahoko to an empty table overlooking the Tokyo skyline – placidly ignoring the latter's manic mouthing of incoherent words, and vague gesturing towards the exit. As soon as she had secured her guest's staying put in her seat – not that Kahoko had much of a choice given the way Kasuga was standing conspicuously beside the doors – Hamai began to speak, and enthusiastically at that.

"Kaho-san, I'm so happy to see you! It's been ages! You never did pay me a visit, and I was very much hoping you would watch my New Year's concert with Len!" Hamai paused, seemingly to inhale, before she plowed on again. "But not to worry – we're hosting a Valentine's concert, too; have you heard? Of course, I'm assuming you have, given you've met Len a couple of times over these past months-"

_He keeps cropping up wherever I go, more like._

"Misa-san, I hate to be rude, but-" Kahoko paused, biting her lip. Did she dare ask aloud the question playing in her head? "Um… Why didn't you tell me about all this?"

"Why I kept my hiring you a secret, you mean?" Hamai asked, eyes bright albeit oddly glassy. "Well, to tell you the truth, Kaho-san, I was under the impression that if you knew Iwas the one offering you this job, you wouldn't even show up for the interview."

"That's ridiculous!" exclaimed Kahoko before she could stop herself. "I mean – er – you can't seriously believe I'm running away from you, Misa-san?"

"Are you not?" Hamai intoned in a politely disinterested voice, her head tilting ever so slightly. "Nevertheless, you _are _here, right now, and I'm afraid you've no choice but to listen to me…"

Kahoko felt her blood run cold as Hamai gently signaled for Kasuga to approach the table. She had the slightest hunch that Hamai Misa was not very happy with her tonight; there was a sharp edge in the woman's behavior toward her that made Kahoko a bit guilty - though she knew she had done no apparent wrong…

Although, yes. Maybe she was purposely avoiding bumping into Hamai. Except for today, she had been largely successful thus far. This chance encounter really was something Kahoko _should _have read into; who would keep a business transaction top secret spare the mafia and Hamai Misa?

"Believe me, Kaho-san," said the woman, in a voice that was slightly more like her usual tone, albeit still with an obviously tinge of some abstract, negative emotion, "I didn't want to see you again like this. In fact, I feel almost guilty for having conspired with Hakuba-san to get you to meet me, but-"

"Hakuba-san knows _you _were behind this?"

"Of course he knew," Hamai answered lightly, surprised. "I couldn't lie to him, could I?"

_Well, at least she's not a compulsive liar._

"Thank you, Kasuga-san," Hamai said in a cheery voice, smiling at her assistant – the latter had arrived and was handing over a plain white folder. "Is everything in here then? Even the sample program? Yes? Well done..."

Smoothly snapping back to business, Hamai turned to smile at Kahoko before flipping the folder open.

"Well, Kaho-san, the basic proposal is this," Hamai began, lowering her gaze as she thumbed through some documents. "I wish to hire you as an assistant party planner for an event which will be happening in April-"

"But Misa-san, I have no experience in events organizing-"

"Not to worry, dear," Hamai continued, as if she had not been interrupted. "I will be handling most of the organizing; all you have to do for me is research."

"But surely you don't do _research _for a party-"

"Oh, but it's not just any other party, Kaho-san," Hamai interrupted, finally looking up to meet Kahoko's bewildered gaze. "Len's grandparents will be celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary in April; has he mentioned the occasion to you?"

Kahoko was forcibly reminded of a drunken conversation she and Len once had in a konbini. It was not a memory she particularly relished.

"Uh, yes, I remember him telling me about it in passing," Kahoko admitted. "But still, I don't see what this has got to do with me-"

"Do you remember my husband's parents, Kaho-san?"

Kahoko started. It was a strange question, one with quite an obvious answer.

"Yes, of course, I saw them often when I came to visit you," Kahoko replied slowly, feeling as though she had just been asked a trick question and was expected to answer poorly. "Soujiro and Fusako Tsukimori. They never miss afternoon tea, and have a vast collection of expensive tea cups. Oh, and their greatest dream is to retire in a hot springs resort."

Hamai smiled. "The details you remember are quite amusing, Kaho-san," she noted, amused. "However, what I mean is whether you remember their relationship? How they were as a married couple?"

"They were…" Kahoko's eyebrows crinkled as she fell into deep thought. "Sweet. Very sweet. They did everything together. Even Len said you never saw one without the other…"

"My in-laws have a very romantic love story," said Hamai Misa, her smile becoming more pronounced. "They first met when Okaasan was a student in Paris, and Otousan was there on vacation. To make the rather long, complicated story short, they fell in love, and decided to get married. Otousan's family, however… let's just say they didn't approve of the woman their only son brought home from his trip abroad."

"You mean his family thought she wasn't good enough for him?"

"Perhaps," was all Hamai said. "The fact is, Otousan's marriage had been arranged for him since he was only a child, and nullifying a marriage with the daughter of a prominent family was not a happy prospect for them. Okaasan had come from an ordinary background, you see, and no matter how talented or vivacious she was the Tsukimoris could gain no apparent advantages if their son married her."

"But they still got married-"

"Yes, they did, but not until after a few years," Hamai Misa said, nodding slightly to herself. "They eloped, and did not have a proper wedding until Shun was a few years old. [2] Initially, Otousan's parents could not forgive him, and they refused to offer help even at times when he asked for it. Eventually though, blood won out, and they accepted him and his new family back into their home. They weren't bad people; in fact, it's a shame you've never met them," Hamai added, her eyes twinkling.

Kahoko frowned, remembering all the long talks she had with Len's grandparents. All those quiet afternoons spent in the Tsukimori's sitting room and this never came up? "They never told me any of this."

"Oh, well…" Hamai smiled. "Where do you think Len learned the art of secrecy?"

Kahoko blushed at this. She remembered Hamai was all for the two of them getting back together. Ignoring the heat cruising up the side of her neck, she hastily asked, "So… the event in April celebrates their wedding?"

"It will, yes," Hamai nodded, happy to see Kahoko was catching up. "They both believe it will be just a family event, with only close friends and relatives celebrating the occasion. But Shun and I thought they deserved better. So we've come up with a sort-of weekend getaway in the villa where our friends will be taking turns providing the entertainment for two days straight, and we've also invited members of the press to cover the event – good publicity, you understand-"

"Wait." Kahoko reached over to touch Hamai's hand. When the other woman had gone silent, proceeding to staring at Kahoko with mild interest, Kahoko clarified, "You're throwing a surprise party for Len's grandparents?"

"Yes, I thought that much was clear, Kaho-san," Hamai replied, smiling gently. "Of course, I don't expect it to be a complete surprise given those two are rather sharp for their age. Still, don't you think it's so much fun trying to hush up an event like this?"

"It's impossible!" Kahoko argued, so shocked by her sudden discovery that she even forgot to be irritated at her companion. "I mean-" she gestured randomly at the people around them. "You've got _superstars _performing for you; how are you going to keep this secret?"

"Oh, that's really nothing you should be worried about, Kaho-san," Hamai assured her, squeezing her hand. "That's my problem. All you'll have to think about – if you accept this offer, that is – is getting information from Otousan and Okaasan. What they want the food to be like, what they want the color theme to be - things like that."

"But," and Kahoko thought she was going for overkill by asking this, "why does it have to be me?"

"Because, my dear," Hamai spoke slowly, as though willing her to understand, "I will be busy with the preparations, and I do not have time to fool our targets into believing we're preparing a small gathering for them. I will not be able to distract them like you can. You do remember how fond they were of you? To be honest, you didn't break just one heart the day you chose to break up with Len-"

"Misa-san, I…" Kahoko forced her eyes shut as she groped for the right words to say. She couldn't believe she was being put in this position. Still, she knew she couldn't just _reject _the job; she was fond of the old couple, too. But working so close to Len…

"Why can't Len, do it, Misa-san?" Kahoko asked suddenly. "Won't Obaasan and Ojiisan think it's crazy that their grandson's ex-girlfriend is handling their party for them?"

"They might," Hamai agreed. "But all in all, I think they'll be very glad at the possibility of the two of you getting back together that they won't ask any questions at all." As a sort of afterthought, she added, "Besides, Len's in charge of overseeing the rehearsals for the performances. And, he's hopeless when it comes to organizing parties – or in this case, pretending to. Right, Len?"

"Hmmm," a voice answered noncommittally from behind Kahoko. Jumping in surprise, Kahoko turned just in time to see Tsukimori walking towards her bearing a plate of tiramisu and lemonade. He was looking at her strangely, although Kahoko seriously doubted the suspicion in his gaze was directed at her.

How much had he heard?

"Okaasan, what are you up to?" Len asked outright, distractedly setting the food on the table. "Are you bullying Kahoko into working for you? Because if you are-"

"Oh, but your grandparents are so fond of Kaho-san that it seems such a shame not to make her part of this plan," Hamai answered, almost pouting. "Besides, she's beginning to consider it. Right, Kaho-san?"

"Well…"

It did not help to have Tsukimori Len staring at her intently, waiting for a reply that might never come. On the one hand, the offer was tempting: it entailed responsibilities she could handle, and it involved making two wonderful people happy. On the other hand, there were consequences if she said yes to it: assimilating with the Tsukimoris _again_, being on guard against Hamai Misa 24/7, working with Len…

Her phone rang suddenly. Jolted out of her reverie, Kahoko flushed as she realized she had forgotten to put her phone on silent mode. What a scene this would have made had she been in a real job interview!

Nevertheless, she felt slightly grateful that the call had come at just the right moment. With one quick, cursory glance at the screen, Kahoko saw it was Nami – why was she calling? Was something wrong? Raising her eyes, a worried expression in them, she thought she saw Hamai Misa's shoulders fall ever so slightly in disappointment, as Tsukimori assuaged his frayed nerves by pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I have to take this call…"

"No need to apologize, Kaho-san," Hamai told her graciously. "We'll be right here."

Quickly dashing out of her seat, Kahoko practically raced towards a large potted plant, behind which she stood and took out her phone. Holding her breath, wondering what on Earth had gone wrong this time, she held the receiver to her lips, and said, "Hello?"

XXX

"So they'll be seeing you before they leave, okay?" Amou Nami clarified to her friend with a slight knotting of her eyebrows, her phone pressed tightly to her ear. "You guys can meet up at the pasta house across the street from the Tokyo Grand… Right. Okay. Sure. Later."

As their friend ended the call abruptly, frowning at her phone with a bemused expression, Takato Mio, Shimizu Keiichi, and Fuuyumi Shouko stared openly, their own confusion building.

"What's wrong?" Mio asked finally. "What did Kaho-chan say?"

Nami shook her head. "Nothing much," she replied off-handedly, as though the earlier conversation had not confused her. "She seemed to be in a rush. Panicky and on edge. She's in the middle of a job interview, so I guess that partly explains it-"

"With Hakuba-san?"

"She didn't say…" Nami trailed off.

"Well then," Shouko looked at her fiancé, checking for confirmation. "I guess we'll have to get going. Our flight's in less than five hours."

"You sure you don't need help with your bags?" Mio asked one last time, looking hopeful.

Shimizu smiled slightly, but merely shook his head. "Thank you, Mio-san, but we can handle these."

"Nao says she's sorry she couldn't come to send you off," Nami tried to explain, a pleading expression in her eyes. "But Oribe was insisting that she watch his performance at the Ishida Cultural Center-" [2]

"It's all right, Nami-chan," Shouko acknowledged graciously. "We understand…"

Silence, as the four of them considered each other, considered the possibility of never being able to see each other again.

"Oh, I'm so going to miss you!" Shouko exclaimed suddenly flinging her arms out to hug Nami and Mio. Taken by surprise, the other two women could only embrace their friend as well, laughing shakily as they began to recover from the swift, uncharacteristic motion. "Call us. Email us. I don't care – just make sure we hear something from you."

"That coming from a person who moves around all the time," Mio answered, exasperated. "How are we supposed to know where you guys are?"

"But we're in Boston most of the time -!"

"When you don't have concert tours across America," Mio replied with a slight rolling of her eyes. "Seriously, it's no mean feat contacting you!"

As Shouko and Mio began outlining possible means of communication, Nami and Shimizu regarded each other with identical, somber stares. There was no need to ask what was going on in the other's mind; it was obvious they were thinking of solutions to the same predicament.

"You'll try to talk some sense into her, I hope?" Nami asked, frowning slightly.

"The keyword is _try_," Shimizu noted. "You know how stubborn she is."

"At any rate, she listens to you the most," Nami acknowledged, sounding slightly grudging. Recovering herself, she managed to wring out a small smile, offering her hand. "The best of luck, Shimizu-kun. I'm sorry you had to come home to such a fiasco-"

"What are you talking about?" Shimizu cracked, shaking Nami's hand enthusiastically. "I had tons of fun with you guys; I'm sure Shouko did, too-"

"What are you guys talking about over there?" Mio wondered aloud, calling Shimizu and Nami back to the bigger conversation. "You're not planning a prank of some sort, are you?"

Nami eyed Mio threateningly, before she turned to hug Shouko with a sunny grin. "You take care, okay? Don't let Shimizu's lethargy get you down-"

"Hey!" Shimizu interrupted. "I am _not _lethargic!"

In the end, after the last moments of bickering and teasing they would share in a while, the four of them managed to hail a cab, stuffing all of the couple's belongings into the trunk. From the other side of a clear glass window, Shimizu and Shouko waved at the friends they were leaving behind, the latter's eyes slightly misty, the former's smile slightly strained. Mio was furiously blinking; Nami resembled a deflated balloon. As the taxi sped away, taking their friends away from them, Nami and Mio stood at the sidewalk still waving, oblivious to everything else.

It was Mio who broke the silence first.

"Saaaay," she said brightly, back to being a ball of cheerfulness. "I'm hungry. What do you say we grab some coffee at that favorite hangout of yours?"

"_Chocolat?_" [2] Nami intoned. She forced a smile. "Sure! I was going to suggest that myself!"

As they began to walk forward, Mio's arm wrapped around Nami's, their steps in deliberate synch, the latter suddenly mock lamented out loud.

"Ne, Mio," she began. "Don't you think it's absurd how those two are getting married within a year? I mean, in high school they barely spoke to each other, let alone _thought _about each other _that _way…"

"Studying in close proximity helped build their relationship, then," Mio reasoned wisely. "It's normal to fall for the people within your circle. They just got lucky they were a perfect match."

"Yeah, 'course," Nami nodded her assent, although she seemed to be thinking of something entirely different from the topic at hand. "But, see, my point is… I mean… can you _imagine _those two having children? Can you _imagine _their kids being friendly with ours, playing tag and all that-?"

"You're thinking that far ahead?" Mio asked, distracted, her eyebrows rising. Then, her childlike face split into a mischievous grin. "You must really like him if you're already thinking of having children with Takishima-"

Instantly, Mio knew she had stepped on the proverbial emotional landmine. Nami had come to a full stop, freezing on a spot in the sidewalk, staring at something no one else could see. Pausing as well, Mio closed the gap to her friend, and, seeing the closed look on Nami's face, instantly began to panic.

"Nami-chan, did I say something wrong?" Mio asked, putting a hand to her friend's arm, a frown on her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to presume… I-uh… Are you mad at me?"

"No," Nami denied sharply, although she did not seem angry. "No, of course not. I'm just…" Again, a fresh layer of emotional distance appeared on Nami's face. Despite the tension, Mio vaguely felt like smiling; for all her infamous acting skills, Nami was strangely inept at hiding negative feelings. Her troubled spirit showed freely on her face, in the knots and creases between her eyes, and the muscles supporting her frown…

"Do you remember Tsukimori saying something about a Ruriko?" Nami asked suddenly, eyes meeting Mio's. "In Aozu, the night he and Makoto fought?"

"Vaguely, yeah," Mio answered slowly, wondering where this was leading. "But Tsukimori-kun never said what relationship she and Takishima-san had-"

"I asked him – Makoto, I mean," Nami revealed, expression and tone of deliberate nonchalance as she continued to walk forward in carefully measured steps. "She was his last girlfriend… or something. Turns out she and Makoto had this… _fling_ one summer. Apparently, Okinawa and bikinis _can _change a kid's life." She paused, flicking something imaginary on the tip of her nose – a habit she lapsed into when she was nervous. "They have a kid. His name's Reiji. He's turning five this April."

"Unh… huh?" Mio could only blubber as she analyzed the full meaning of Nami's statement, at the same time trying to catch up with her friends' quickening footsteps. "Takishima-san… what?" A succession of blinks followed as she counted in her head, reason slowly kicking in. "But if his son's five years old that would mean…"

"He got Ruriko pregnant when he was fresh out of high school," Nami supplied casually, although her voice cracked slightly when she said the woman's name. Clearing her throat, she explained, "He went to Okinawa straight out of high school for some "soul searching". Wondered which path to choose: the traditional profit-driven one or music. I've told you about this. The entire clan expecting him to help out in the family business and all…"

Nami was blabbering, but Mio hardly noticed. All the later was aware of was that Nami really was a _pathetic _liar when it came to thinks that mattered, and despite her efforts at downplaying the effect of this discovery on her, it was obvious she was very much shaken by it.

"So yeah," Nami plowed on, barely pausing to breathe now. "Since he's come home to Japan, he and Reiji meet much more often these days. He visits him in Okinawa each chance he gets, or sometimes Reiji comes to Tokyo. He asked me if I wanted to meet him – do you think I should go?" Nami asked abruptly, a desperate gleam in her eyes as she ceased walking again.

"Nami-chan…" Mio was at a loss for words. "I… Um…"

Her friend sighed heavily, putting a hand up to rearrange her perfectly brushed hair. Rubbing her forehead, looking suddenly tired and much older, Nami whispered, "Sorry, Mio-chan, I just feel so… lost…"

With Nami overcome by a rush of turbulent emotions, and Mio rushing forward with the sole goal of comforting her friend, neither of them noticed a pair of emerald green eyes that watched them from a counter by the window, expression hidden behind dark sunglasses and a restaurant menu. As the two women turned to leave, one's arms around the other as she valiantly tried to fake a laugh, Sawasaki Erisu frowned into her cup of frozen yogurt.

_What was that about?_

"Are you alone, Miss?" a deep, smooth voice suddenly whispered disturbingly close to her left ear. Shocked beyond words, Erisu jumped about a foot in the air, upsetting her dessert, and spilling yogurt on her disguise. Cursing inwardly and biting her lip, she resisted the urge to swat at her damp clothes, focusing all her energy on glaring at a smug Yunoki Azuma.

"_Don't do that!"_ she hissed venomously at the man who sat on the stool beside her without asking for permission. "Can you _not _sneak up on people? It's rather rude, you know? I'd expected better from _you_."

"Emotional blackmail already?" was all Yunoki said as he raised a lazy hand to summon a passing waitress, who was in flight stewardess garb. "And we haven't even started negotiating yet…"

There was silence between the two as Yunoki cheerfully placed his order for a cup of regular blueberry froyo, and Erisu glared at a random spot on the downtown intersection in front of her. She was seething with a combination of anger and confusion; he was biding his time, smiling faintly at nothing in particular as though remembering a pleasant thought.

Then the explosion-

"You wanted to talk?" Erisu grumbled as she helped herself to more yogurt. "What's so important that we can't discuss it over the phone? I don't imagine you fancy yourself involved in Tsukimori's private affairs-"

"Back to Tsukimori it is then-?"

"Don't change the subject," Erisu countered, too hell-bent on getting answers to be sidetracked by a mere side-taunt. "We both know this encounter is an absurdity, so to put some meaning into this madness, would you mind explaining what we're doing here?"

Yunoki vaguely entertained the idea of reminding Erisu that it was her idea to meet up in this frozen yogurt shop. He had merely _requested _that they meet _somewhere_; he hadn't specified a particular rendezvous point – particularly a restaurant exclusively for cosplayers - and she had saved him the effort of deliberating. Nevertheless, as he sneaked a lot at her petulant face, a frown on her lips as she stabbed her near-empty cup of yogurt, he resisted the temptation of irritating her further.

Getting on her bad side would not be good for the plan.

"So…" he began, throwing the statement so casually he seemed to be commenting on the weather. "You and Tsukimori broke up."

"Hmfph," Erisu acknowledged gracelessly. "Frankly, I'm surprised the papers haven't got wind of it yet. Does this mean the paparazzi in Japan are completely useless, or are we just genuinely disinterested in the lives of other people?"

"Normally, I would say the former, but that wouldn't bode too well on our future collaboration."

Erisu raised a perfect eyebrow in question. She seemed to be mulling over something in her mind, refining her assumptions before voicing them.

"Let me get this straight," she intoned, finally. "You need me to cooperate with you regarding a plan that will involve the Japanese press?"

"To say the least, yes," Yunoki replied distractedly, smiling at the waitress who had come to deliver his order. "They're certainly essential to the scheme, but there's a bigger objective behind using them…"

He mashed his frozen yogurt, deliberately keeping his companion on the cliff of anticipation.

"I need to break up with my fiancée," he stated flatly, spooning a large chunk of yogurt into his mouth. Erisu could only stare, lips poised half-open with fingers frozen in a death grip on her spoon.

"But…" she began, brain functions slowly returning to normal. "But you're getting married. You're happy. I mean… you certainly _look _happy-"

"I am, yes," Yunoki acknowledged. "But it is a happiness of sorts. I'm not happy because I have what – or shall I say, _who_ – I want; I'm happy because I have to compromise." Turning a sharp eye at Erisu, he added, "I _have _to be happy. Surely you understand?"

The mask of rage that suddenly appeared on her face took Yunoki by surprise.

"So you're going for Hino Kahoko now, are you?" she half-accused, half-assumed, fully convinced. "Don't look at me like that – I know you had a thing for her back in high school, I see the way you _look _at her, for crying out loud! And if that _is _what you're planning then, no; I refuse to participate in your mad scheme. I did not let go of that sorry excuse of a man to have _you _carting off his target-!"

"Waaait, hold up," Yunoki interrupted her tirade with his spoon in the air, and a bemused expression in his eyes. "What on Earth are you ranting about? I do _not_ have a hidden desire for Hino Kahoko; whatever gave you the idea?"

"You… _look _at her," Erisu blubbered. "You really look at her with that creepy stare of yours. And… and- you hover around her all the time, watching over her, practically to the point of _servitude_-"

"The day I serve someone will be the day hell freezes over," Yunoki stated firmly, killing of all arguments. "I watch over Hino Kahoko because she makes an interesting distraction for boredom. You do realize she's prone to leaving a trail of destruction wherever she walks?"

"But you _liked _her," Erisu rebutted. "I can _see _it, and my research shows you were all over her in high school-"

"I don't even want to know who your sources are," Yunoki informed her dryly, putting two fingers to his temple to ease the building pain there. "And I don't even know how you formulated your own conclusions. Women have the tendency to believe men are infatuated with their worst rivals. In truth, it is just the curse of a hyperactive imagination kicking in."

"Will you _stop_ talking in circles?" Erisu demanded, slapping a hand on her knee in frustration. "I have no patience for these childish games of yours – what is it you're really going for?"

"_I want to break up with my fiancée," _Yunoki repeated patiently. "I've told you, still you insist that _I _want to break up with Rumi to get together with _Hino Kahoko_, which, I'm telling you right now, is the most absurd idea I've heard in a while. And I'm friends with _Hihara_-"

"You really don't like her?" Erisu asked, clearly doubting Yunoki's words.

"I don't think of her that way," Yunoki clarified. "When I began dating my first girlfriend, I realized how foolish I was for thinking Hino Kahoko was the center of my world. There are other women, far more beautiful and far more fascinating than her – not that she's not charming, of course. It's simply a case of me realizing she's… not my type."

Erisu was still frowning.

"But you _liked _her, right?" she repeated one more time. "That's a fact, for sure…"

All self-control lost, Yunoki clamped his eyes shut to prevent himself from glaring at his companion. In the few minutes they had spoken to each other – their first significant exchange after knowing each other in passing for months – she had not only managed to irritate him, but she had also gotten the unruffled Yunoki Azuma talking. It was a fairly disturbing thought, how she had wangled all that information out of him effortlessly. Whether her actions were deliberate or not, Sawasaki Erisu had successfully convinced Yunoki that she was a scary person indeed.

"…can't believe you don't like her. I was _so _sure-"

Yunoki opened his eyes; he hadn't realized he still had them shut in consternation.

"You finally believe me, then?" he inquired first, trying to find some explanation for the girl's sudden paradigm shift.

"Well, if you're lying, I could always have you assassinated," Erisu joked dryly, chuckling as she emptied her yogurt cup. "Not to mention, your plan intrigues me… Why are we talking to each other again?"

Yunoki sighed. She really was too much.

"I need a scapegoat, an excuse for breaking up with Rumi," he explained, unhappily turning his blueberry froyo to mush. "I assumed that since you need a rebound guy, and I need a believable third party, if we cooperate, we may both get what we want."

"What makes you think you know what I want? In the first place, why would I want a rebound guy like _you_-?"

"If not a rebound guy, then a distraction, at least," Yunoki said, looking up to meet her tinted gaze. "Surely you don't intend to tell me you're happy the way you are now?"

She did not reply. Breaking the connection, Erisu turned to the window again, although Yunoki thought she looked strangely blank. There was no slump in her shoulders, no tension emanating from her – and that made him wonder if she was actually considering the situation. She seemed to be taking her time, and he, for lack of anything else to do, simply watched her silent deliberation, the cup of yogurt before him completely unfrozen.

"So you're planning to use me to get rid of your girlfriend, huh?" Erisu suddenly said, grinning wryly. "That's pretty sick."

"It's better for her to get hurt now than for her to get hurt after we're married," Yunoki supplied dully, giving the frozen yogurt once last try. "If she finds out I married her only because she was my grandmother's choice…"

"I bet she wouldn't be too surprised," Erisu predicted confidently. Still, she smirked at him and said, "Funny though. I never thought you were the type to marry for love."

"I don't play with nice girls," Yunoki replied in an eerily low voice, eyes oddly glassy. "Contrary to urban myth, I actually don't enjoy breaking girls' hearts-"

"Suppose I agree to be your accomplice," Erisu plowed on, as though she hadn't heard him. "What are we going to do? Just… go on dates? Have the paparrazi see us? And then have Fujioka hear the gossip?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," Yunoki replied, smiling faintly as he realized the sheer amount of clichés he was resorting to in order to converse with this woman. "Another thing this agreement would require is for you to trust me-"

"If we're going to do this, I'm going to have to make it clear that you won't be running the ropes – not alone at least," Erisu interrupted for the umpteenth time, ignoring the annoyance that was now raging in Yunoki's normally passive eyes. "I'll be in this just as much as you are. I'll get to call as many shots as you do."

"I certainly didn't think you'd be _this _cooperative," Yunoki all but hissed in reply.

"Don't think I'm doing this for you," Erisu informed him, putting a hand up to her neck as though conversing with him exhausted her. "This is for Fujioka. For all your presumptuous idiocy, one thing you've said is true. It's better for her to get hurt now rather than for her to figure out someday that the man she's married doesn't love her at all."

_Presumptuous idiocy?_

"What do you think, then," Yunoki began, closing his eyes once more to prevent himself from seeing her face, "of my plan to visit _Banzai _tonight?" [2]

Erisu looked pensive as she considered the idea.

"It's a bit dangerous though, don't you think?" she commented suddenly, in that abrupt way of hers. "I've just realized… Parading so blatantly for the paparazzi to see… We're not exactly hard to miss, and she's no publicity lightweight either. People are bound to notice almost instantly, disinterested or not-"

"It's a win-win situation," Yunoki argued. "If I cheat, she gets the right to break up with me first, as it will look like I'm the one at fault. Besides, if we get the news up in time for _Shattered Symphony_'s release, people will be curious about her, and they'll want to watch the movie that conveniently echoes the tragedy of her love life-"

"They'll be watching out of pity-"

"In the end, they're still ticket sales," Yunoki pointed out. When Erisu still looked unconvinced, he sighed and said, "Listen. Rumi is 'nice', but she's no damsel-in-distress. She can look after herself."

But there was something strange in her expression as she looked at him. Although he couldn't see her eyes behind her sunglasses, Yunoki fancied there was respect shining in them, evident as she began to see him in a new light. All imagery, however, disappeared from his mind as she smoothly swooped back to business.

"Fine," she accepted with the slightest hint of derision. "We'll stick with the plan, and have ourselves seen in public tonight. But not _Banzai _– too many people. The paparazzi will thinking we're pushing this up their noses, and they'll know we're faking it. How about a quiet dinner at _Vernum Autumnalis? _[2] You could reserve a table in a quiet corner, and we could come in separately."

"We won't be as conspicuous, then-"

Yunoki froze mid-sentence as he realized the logic behind the plan. As Erisu had said, they weren't exactly hard to miss, even in disguise. If they didn't order food, but instead ordered the finest wine in the house, the staff was bound to talk. And given _Vernum Autumnalis _was one of the most exclusive restaurants in the city…

He had to admit, the plan had the makings of a perfect scandal.

Despite himself, Yunoki felt slightly amazed by Erisu's natural talent for sowing disaster. Rather than having this realization appear on his features, however, he chose to fake apathy instead.

"All right, we follow that plan," Yunoki agreed, voice wavering slightly as he said _that_. "I'll be there at eight. Be careful to arrive an hour later."

"Mmm-hmmm," Erisu nodded obediently, obviously enjoying yourself. "We separate then?"

"Yes," Yunoki acknowledged, rising to his feet. Before he could adjust himself to full height, however, he paused, and, with a faintly confused expression, frowned at Erisu's outfit. "What are you supposed to be?"

She looked down at her disguise: white wig flowing down the length of her back, black shihakushou obviously two sizes bigger than her, a distinctive white haori with the number 13 on its back. "Ukitake Jyuushirou from _Bleach_ - only cooler," she answered seriously, raising her sunglasses for emphasis. [3] "I wanted to be someone else, but I couldn't pull off his height." She frowned up at him, as though trying to place his disguise. "And you are…?"

"Some character from _Meitantei Conan_," Yunoki replied offhandedly, straightening his customized white tuxedo, complete with a matching top hat and a monocle. [4] "My sister lent me this costume. Apparently, everything she learned about fashion in France culminated in the creation of this outfit."

"But you didn't have to cut your hair for it," Erisu noted, eyeing the short wisps of hair that looked so perfectly windswept she was willing to bet Yunoki's sister messed with them, too. "You look strange."

"I thank you for that unsolicited assessment," Yunoki replied icily - though for all his devil-may-care bravado, his hand still twitched towards his hair, as though to make sure it was short. "Nevertheless, I'm convinced it suits me well enough. I was tired of having long hair anyway."

With a small bow, he turned to leave, ignoring the amused look Erisu was sending his way. Even with his brisk steps, however, he couldn't ignore one more comment his companion had to offer.

"And here I thought you were just trying to impress me."

She sounded close to laughing.

XXX

"Kaho-senpai!" a cheerful voice called out from a point towards her far left, chasing her thoughts back down to earth and causing her to jump a few inches in the air due to shock. With slightly unfocused eyes, Hino Kahoko scanned the crowded restaurant for a sign of who had spoken, her gaze finally settling on a couple seated on a table near the restaurant window.

She had kept Shimizu and Shouko waiting.

"I'm sooo sorry," Kahoko apologized, putting her palms up in a gesture that sought forgiveness. "The interview lasted forever! I didn't even notice the time – don't you guys have to get going?"

"No, no," Fuuyumi Shouko pacified her friend, dragging Kahoko into the seat between her and Shimizu. "We've still got a couple of hours before the flight. Besides, the airport's not too far from here and the traffic's not that bad… The highways have really improved since the last time we've been here-"

Despite her efforts to remain glued to the conversation, Kahoko felt her mind drifting away, to a scene in a lavish hotel room that took place just a few minutes prior to the present. She was still reeling over the decision she had made, thinking of its possible consequences, fighting a strange shiver of foreboding that was creeping up her arms and giving her chills…

"Where did you come from, Kaho-senpai?" Shimizu Keiichi asked suddenly, reeling Kahoko in from her daydream. "If you don't mind my asking…"

Kahoko stared at him, eyes glassy and unseeing. Then, with a deep sigh, she cupped her face in her hands and admitted dully, "You guys might as well know. I… accepted a job as a party planner for Len's grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary."

A pause. Shimizu and Shouko gaped at her, mercifully with closed mouths. It was Shouko who broke the silence first.

"Oh! That's wonderful!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together, and positively glowing. Turning to her fiancé, who still looked slightly disoriented, she added, "Wouldn't it be wonderful to reach our 50th wedding anniversary, Kei?"

"Uh…" Shimizu began, taking his gaze off Shouko and proceeding to stare openly at their friend. "Yeah, I suppose it… would… be…?"

Shouko seemed unperturbed; perhaps Shimizu had always been slow on the uptake.

"Since when have you been into events organizing, Kaho-senpai?" she asked, all cheerful.

"Actually, just today," Kahoko answered as she helped herself to a glass of water, looking utterly defeated. "It's a very surprise event, you see. I shouldn't even be telling you this given I've signed a confidentiality agreement."

"And are you fine with that?" Shimizu inquired out of the blue, unrelenting. "Working so close to Tsukimori-senpai?"

Kahoko frowned. She had been asking herself the same question, arriving at no clear answer.

"I'll just have to bear it, won't I?" she answered, resting her chin on her palm, not meeting Shimizu's seeking gaze. "Just because things are over between the two of us doesn't mean I can't see his family…"

Silence once again. Shimizu continued interpreting Kahoko's expression as the latter pretended to be looking away. Shouko, meanwhile, seemed to be fidgeting with the hem of her blouse.

"I'll go… update our order," she mumbled, smiling faintly as she looked at the older woman. "Kaho-senpai, is there something you'd like?"

"No, Shouko, don't bother-"

"Silly," Shouko berated good-naturedly. Exchanging a quick glance with her fiancé, she added, "We want to thank you for the hospitality you showed us during our stay here. At _least _let us buy you dinner."

"We've given you more problems in the past few months than you've had during all your time abroad," Kahoko joked, although her shoulders relaxed visibly. "But if you insist, then I'll have the-"

"Their lobster thermidor is really good-"

Kahoko paused, eyebrows furrowing. "Why is there lobster thermidor in an Italian restaurant?"

"Excuse me, then."

To Kahoko's extreme surprise, Shouko stood up and began walking towards the counter, where several staff members watched her approach. Shouko, who had always been bad at lying, seemed to be in a rush to get something done – how many hours were left until their departure? Still trying to make sense of what had just happened, she barely heard Shimizu's faint voice practically whispering across the table.

"So this is another temporary goodbye?"

Despite the whirlwind of conflicting emotions she had experienced in the past hour, Kahoko found her face relaxing into an easy, genuine smile. "Yes, I suppose so. You will keep in touch, won't you?"

"Of course," Shimizu promised earnestly, never once breaking eye contact. "Maybe you can even visit us for a short vacation."

"I'd like that," Kahoko answered, smiling. "Promise you'll take care of Shouko-chan?"

Shimizu smiled. "You know my answer to that."

Kahoko lowered her gaze to the glass in front of her – she could see the ceiling reflected on the water's surface, ripples distorting the image as she touched the tip with one finger. A prickling sensation crept up her neck as she felt a steely gaze boring into the top of her head, wanting to read into the depths of her mind. As she trained her gaze even lower, Kahoko felt rather than heard the barrage of questions playing inside Shimizu's head, each competing with the others for precedence in being voiced aloud.

Surprising even herself, Kahoko spoke first.

"What is it, Shimizu-kun?" she asked in a low voice, fingers clutching the glass for support. "If you want to say something," she paused, biting her lip, "you might as well get it over with."

Tempting the fates, she looked up and met the young man's gaze, which had never left her. He seemed neither angry nor depressed, but merely thoughtful, frowning as though he was trying to remembering something that was proving to be elusive.

"I'm not sure if you've ever thought about this, Kaho-senpai…" he began, words gushing out fluidly, "but I don't think you're being too honest with yourself."

Kahoko flushed, her hold on the glass tightening as she realized the point Shimizu was trying to make. "Shimizu-kun, if you're trying to get me and Len back together, you're wasting your time-"

"I'm not," Shimizu replied instantly, unperturbed. "Not really," he added, frowning slightly as he half-retracted his statement. "In fact, I'm not sure I think you and Tsukimori-senpai belong with each other, the way he keeps running after you even when you keep rejecting his efforts without even considering them-"

"Whaaat?" Kahoko asked, incredulous. "What efforts are you talking about? There's nothing going on between the two of us-!"

"Only because you refuse to acknowledge it," Shimizu bluntly stated, causing Kahoko to stiffen and sit bolt upright. "He may have changed in many ways, but deep inside, he's still the same Tsukimori Len who took an entire year to figure out he loved you."

He considered Kahoko - assessing a memory, an abstract idea, not the woman who was sitting in front of him, responding to his calm gaze with a glare of murderous intent.

"But even if he's a bit dense," he continued, fingers tapping their table leisurely, "when he does figure out what he wants, he goes all out to get it. Unlike _you_…" he said slowly, gauging the changes in his friend's expression – from shock, to embarrassment, to sadness, and finally to irritation.

"If I didn't know you Kaho-senpai, I'd say you were thick, that you don't understand Tsukimori-senpai's wishes at all," Shimizu continued relentlessly. "The thing is - unlike Sawasaki-san and Tsukimori-senpai, hell, even Nami-senpai – I _do _know you, and I believe I know the way you think… you understand _exactly_ what he wants, only you're too scared to respond."

Taking Kahoko's flustered silence as a sign that he should continue, Shimizu leaned back on his chair in preparation for the conclusion of his speech. Although he had been trying to give off the impression that the lecture was a spur-of-the-moment realization, he _had _been practicing for several days now…

"I don't ask that you reciprocate his feelings," Shimizu whispered, eyes finally lowered as he softened his tone. "I don't even presume to understand what your feelings towards him are. But if you care for him – if you care for yourself – I only ask that you stop running around in circles and face him _head on_. He deserves a little honesty; an explanation, at least. The Kaho-senpai I used to know wouldn't offer him anything less than the truth…"

As she lapsed into a dull silence, fingers clasped together with her head bent too low for Shimizu to read the expression in her eyes, he caught the worried expression on Shouko's face, observing the scene from her spot by the counter. Trying to assure her as unobtrusively as he could, Shimizu merely smiled, trying to say everything had gone according to plan; he had said everything that needed to be said.

Only Kahoko's reaction remained to be seen.

After a few minutes of silence that seemed to drag on forever, Kahoko looked up, looking slightly shaken but otherwise composed. He noticed her eyes were dry, although her fingers seemed to shake slightly as she reached for her glass. As she took a sip from it, dribbling water down her front in her haste, Shouko began to walk towards the table, face a mask of worry.

"Sorry I took so long," she explained, settling into her seat, and avoiding Shimizu's eyes for fear of losing her act. "There was a problem in the kitchens… Turns out they _don't_ serve lobster thermidor in this restaurant. Silly me, I must have taken it for some other place, haha!"

Silence, for the nth time that evening.

The laughter seemed so fake that even Shouko grimaced. Looking desperately at Shimizu, who only smiled back as he reached for her hand under the table, she tried not to look into Kahoko's eyes…

Not that the latter was bound to notice.

"Thank you, Shimizu-kun, Shouko-chan," Kahoko broke the awkward moment with a low voice, smiling faintly to herself. "For… caring enough to tell me this. No one's ever been this honest with me before, not even Nami. I guess the years do change us, eh?"

She chuckled quietly before sobering again, eyes still on the table. "But you're right. Maybe I have been unfair to Len. Perhaps he owes more than confusing excuses from me."

She sighed. The fingers clutching Shouko's tensed.

"But… maybe in this situation… things are better left unsaid."

She looked up at them – Shouko first, then Shimizu. The former was still looking at no particular spot on the table; the latter was meeting her gaze with an expression akin to regret. It was the look of someone who felt he could change things. It was also the look of someone who knew his efforts had been in vain.

Kahoko forced a smile. Things were getting too complicated for comfort. Shimizu, curse him, had become even more sensitive than he used to be. And Shouko – she had gotten to understand her too much as well…

She settled for cheerfulness.

"Did you get me some pesto then?"

**A/N: **

Another twist! (I'm not talking about Yunoki's hair.) I'm sorry if the last bit's rushed; it was. Despite this obvious output downturn, I must admit I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter. It just needs a little tweaking – a boon of inspiration when my muse comes calling, actually.

I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed this story! Thanks so much! I didn't think you'd like this crazy soap opera-ish fic, but I guess you somehow do! Thanks so much! Especially to the following people whose invaluable suggestions I've put into the actual fic: _IcHiGo KyArA_ who suggested the Kahoko's-body-getting-weak as written in Chapter Eight, _fanfatic08_ whose Tsukimori-should-play-something-for-Kahoko suggestion will sorta be featured in Chapter Ten, and to _season's call, fanfatic08, _and_ chamae_ who gave their insight regarding Kahoko's, Erisu's and Tsukimori's feelings about Le Breakup. Thanks everyone! ::D

PS. Four chapters left + an epilogue. ::D

PS again. Reading too many journal articles for class has completely sapped me of romantic ideas for this story. For suggestions, violent reactions, and possible additions to the OH-SO-FLEXIBLE plot please PM me or leave a review. Thanks very much! ::D

PS last. Honestly, is this getting _too _complicated? I have ideas on how to tie the knots and kill the story in due time, but do you think it's getting too out of hand, esp. with this last chap?

_This chapter is dedicated to pichieriuzen, without whom this chapter would not have been finished. _

**Revenge of the Footnotes:**

[1] _Walzer Aus Dornroschen_ – Waltz from Sleeping Beauty Op. 66 by Peter Iljitsch Tchaikovsky

[2] _Tsukimori Shun_. When in doubt, invent. Let it be noted, however, that he _does _exist in canon.

[3] _Ishida Cultural Center; Chocolat; Banzai; Vernum Autumnalis_ – all figments of my imagination

[4] Ukitake-taichou, the midget, and _Bleach _belong to Kubo Tite. No copyright infringement intended, and all that shiz. I'm only mentioning it here because I've been reading a lot of Hitsugaya fanfics lately. (For Toushirou fans, check out _windlily_'s _Treading Icy Waters _and _Instant Coffee _if you haven't yet.)

[5] Kaitou Kid and _Meitantei Conan _belong to Gosho Aoyoma.

[6] _Lobster Thermidor. _Does this thing even exist in real life? Taken from Sims2 of EA Games.


	11. Chapter 10: Failed Attempts

**Bridging the Gap**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Chapter Ten: Failed Attempts**

**A/N: **

Allo! ::D Congratulations on making it to Chapter Ten of this twisted fanfic. I must warn you though, that the chapter you are about to read offers no rewards for your perseverance. Despite its irritation-inducing nature, I hope you still find it in your heart to enjoy it somehow. Cheers!

On a side note, I've uploaded this fairly quickly to make up for the poor poetry in this chapter; I sincerely hope you forgive me for the cheesiness of my attempts. Also, I'm surprised to find it's rather short - barely half the length of the previous chapters. I'm so proud of myself! ;;X

"… _Every time I tried to tell you, the words just came out wrong._

_So I'll have to say I love you… in a song."_

_~ Jim Croce, I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song_

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own _La Corda d'Oro_; the whole concept belongs to Kure Yuki-sensei.

This fanfic is based on _Primo Passo_.

**Previously: **

**Chapter Nine: Hellos, Goodbyes**

"_If I didn't know you Kaho-senpai, I'd say you were thick, that you don't understand Tsukimori-senpai's wishes at all," Shimizu continued relentlessly. "The thing is - unlike Sawasaki-san and Tsukimori-senpai, hell, even Nami-senpai – I do know you, and I believe I know the way you think… you understand exactly what he wants, only you're too scared to respond." _

**Chapter Ten: Failed Attempts**

_February, Valentine's Eve_

The ticking of the clock sounded foreboding against the solitude of the corridor. Tsukimori Len scowled, looking away from its steadily moving hands, silently cursing it and the way it made him shiver. When someone you loved was fighting for life, facing this ticking monstrosity only served as a reminder that that life could be taken away at any time - without warning, without justification. Dazed, he clasped his trembling hands and exhaled in ragged fashion. Later, much later, he would talk to the administration about this; it was immoral to have clocks in hospital hallways.

"Are you all right?" a soft, concerned voice asked him, its sound a calming draught for his nerves. He turned to his right and saw Hino Kahoko peering up into his face, her brows knitted, worry evident in her eyes. "Maybe you should rest for a while. You've been working the whole day-"

"I'm fine," he quickly stammered. He straightened up and squared his shoulders, trying to avoid her searching gaze. "I'm just relieved Ojiisan's stable now. I didn't think... I don't know what I would have done if he hadn't made it…"

"But he did, so what's the point of worrying?" she said softly, reaching out to touch his arm for a brief moment. Even in his disoriented state, he felt the little sparks that crept up his skin where her fingers touched him, those little bolts of electricity that sent cascades rolling in his heart. "It isn't right to overwork yourself like this. You need to _rest_."

"Yes, I know," Tsukimori assured her. "It's just… All of us could have killed him with our _insipid _surprise. Can you imagine what Okaasan would have done if Ojiisan had died?"

"She'd have blamed herself to death," Kahoko answered bluntly, earning her a surprised look from Tsukimori. "So would you. But, don't you see? None of us intended to hurt him. _It was an innocent mistake._ How were we to know he'd have a heart attack when he found we were throwing an anniversary party? We only wanted to make them happy-"

"Apparently, too much happiness kills," Tsukimori muttered. "Plato was right – nothing in excess. I'd rather have him numb and alive that grinning dead-"

"Surely you don't mean that," Kahoko answered softly. "'What's the point of living if you can't feel alive?'"

At these words, Tsukimori turned to face her fully. In her eyes he could see the feeling that went behind those words, how much she believed in them, how much she wanted to live by that ideal. But knowing what he did, knowing her condition and how she made it limit her future, he felt like asking her, demanding to know why she left him then if happiness – their shared happiness – was all that mattered.

Instead, he merely cracked a grimace and replied, "That's from a James Bond movie right? I can't remember which one though…"

"_The World is Not Enough_," she chirped in reply, smiling faintly. "Watched it last night on TV. It was good, you should have seen it."

"Ah, well…" Tsukimori relaxed and leaned his head against the wall. "I _have _seen it, I guess. It just wasn't remarkable enough to stick in my memory…"

Watching him with slouching, his hair messy and falling over the place, the glare of the ceiling lamp illuminating his face in harsh light, Kahoko marveled over how different this Tsukimori was from the Len six years ago. In the past few weeks of their working together – the shared lunches, the stolen conversations during coffee break – she had come to know and to appreciate this new side of him. Had it always been there, waiting to surface? Why hadn't she ever managed to bring it out of him, this happy, unguarded side? It suited him so much - this expression, this smile, this twinkle in his eyes, and that faraway look. How had Erisu done it?

"We should have been there," he noted suddenly.

"Hn?"

"We should have been there at the concert," Tsukimori repeated, rolling his head to meet her eyes. "Sorry."

Kahoko sat bolt upright, her fists clenching in time to the furious reddening of her cheeks. "Noooo, no, it's perfectly all right. This is an emergency, we couldn't have, uh-"

"I'll make it up to you," he promised. "When Ojiisan's better we could watch another concert in-"

"No! I mean, don't bother-"

"But you asked me out," Tsukimori told her, an eyebrow raised. "Imagine: after all those times I asked you out and you dumped me – _mercilessly, _I might add – _you suddenly asked me out_. It isn't right for a man to turn down an offer like that, whatever the reasons."

"H-hey!" Kahoko objected, mock-punching his arm. "Don't phrase it like that. I did _not_ ask you out on a date. I just asked you if you wanted to watch Shirou's concert with the rest of us. And, honestly, you would have watched it anyway! I mean, Sato's on vocals and Oribe's playing lead guitar, so of course you would have gone to see their show-!"

"I suppose I would have," he acknowledged, looking away. "But, you know, it _is_ Valentine's Day…"

"Tsukimori Len-!"

She had intended to give him a head-swat, just to keep his brain cells in order. But he was quicker – much, much quicker – catching her hand and slipping it in his, all the while keeping his steady gaze on her. What was with him? The way he brushed her fingers against hers – feeling the warmth of her fingertips – as if she wasn't staring back at him, wide-eyed and wild-eyed with her heart hammering a war cry in her chest!

"Don't-!"

_But even if he's a bit dense,_ Shimizu had said, _when he does figure out what he wants, he goes all out to get it…_

Involuntarily, her hand twitched. Tsukimori glanced at it for a moment, apparently took it to mean something else, and merely continued staring at their joined hands. Lips parted slightly, he seemed on the verge of saying something that was causing him much grief. And Kahoko, who had seem him struggle with expressing his feelings on several occasions, vaguely wondered how he could have changed so much as a person, yet retain certain aspects of his personality…

The most eccentric, most endearing parts of him that she hadn't seen in anyone else, even after all these years. Just watching him fighting to get out of his esoteric world made her heart ache…

"Have I ever told you how much I missed you?"

Without her noticing it, Kahoko had frozen in time as well; she hadn't realized their fingers had been interlocked, intertwined. Her eyes fell to their hands – this wasn't fair, most of all to him. But she knew she couldn't let go; she had foreseen this inevitable defeat a long time ago… The warmth was too comfortable, too familiar, too right…

"Kahoko," he called her, and instantly, her eyes swept up to meet his. No pleas reflected in them tonight – no conditions, no regrets, no desires. Just sincerity. Just gratitude that they were spending this moment together. The clock, the hallway, the public announcement echoing across the hospital floors – all of them blurred into a hazy cloud of realities that didn't matter. It was just those eyes. Those eyes meeting hers.

"Kahoko!"

An uncomfortably familiar voice half-shouted, bringing Kahoko back to the normal plane of existence, and making her pull her hand away in reflex. Fingers shaking madly, she ignored Tsukimori's dangerously blank look at something behind her, and turned around. On their way to the chairs where Tsukimori and Kahoko sat were Amou Nami, Takishima Makoto and Kobayashi Nao. All of them wore identical expressions of worry; Kahoko had seen Takishima this agitated only once, and the situation had not gone well.

Worried a scuffle might ensue, she stood up and briskly walked over to meet them.

"You didn't have to come," she told Nami in a whisper as the two of them locked hands in a universal gesture of empathy.

"Has anything changed?" was the only reply. "Where are Tsukimori's parents?"

"Shun-san is making arrangements with the hospital, and Misa-san is with Obaasan in Ojiisan's room. They're all fine, there's no need to worry-"

"I told you my grandfather is safe now," Tsukimori said suddenly, stopping to stand right behind Kahoko. She turned nervously and saw him looking at Nami with the same blank expression he had worn earlier. "Why are you all here?"

"What – you think we'd still stay there after hearing what happened?"

The sharp edge in Takishima's voice made Tsukimori direct his gaze at him. For a few seconds, the two men only stared at each other in silence; for the same span of time, Kahoko's heart ceased beating. She need not have worried, however, for the next moment both faces cracked into identical grins, both men breathing sighs of obvious relief that their fight had wordlessly ended.

Nami did not seem amused.

"Guys," she said with derision as Takishima wrapped an arm around her waist and playfully kissed her hair. "You have the weirdest way of fighting, and worse, the weirdest way of patching things up."

"Did you get to hear Oribe and Sato's band play?" Kahoko asked Nao, eyebrow twitching as she glared at the impish smile on Tsukimori's lips.

"No, the concert was a bit delayed," Nao replied, sounding oddly tired. "It didn't start until after thirty minutes, and the band lineup got a bit distorted, so I guess Shirou isn't playing yet."

"Funny though," Kahoko observed, now shoving Tsukimori's outstretched arms away, "I thought you'd have stayed. Didn't Oribe tell you he wanted you to watch his band play?"

"We broke up," Nao stated simply, squaring her shoulders resignedly. "Just a little over an hour ago."

Tsukimori ceased reaching and even Mami sobered. [1]

"Sorry, Nao, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't be stupid, you didn't do anything," Nao waved off the apology, even managing a halfway-decent grin. "It was bound to happen, anyway, the way he was suffocating me…"

Tsukimori watched Kahoko's face become a mask of both guilt and sadness. Trying to ease the heavy atmosphere, he inquired at no one in particular, "So they're just about to perform then?"

Takishima met his eye. "Yeah, 'guess so…"

Although his best friend maintained a calm expression, Takishima knew what Tsukimori was thinking. He knew tonight had been important for his friend, that he had planned something for Kahoko to hear…

_And she wasn't even going to hear it_…

Cursing inwardly, Takishima let go of Nami, who had taken over the responsibility of cheering up Nao. He took one cursory look at Tsukimori, who was studiously avoiding his gaze. Then he proceeded to stare at Kahoko, who was too preoccupied in her latest worry to realize she was being gawked at. When was this woman going to wake up and save his best friend from so much pain? Tsukimori had given too much, sacrificed too much, invested too much for her sake that she had no right to remain oblivious like this.

Cursing aloud at the injustice of it all – earning him a pointed look from Tsukimori – Takishima looked away and stalked towards the window. The sky was dark and starless, void even of clouds. He smirked at the aptness of it all; the heavens tonight seemed to mirror Tsukimori's future in love.

XXX

The earth beneath her felt slightly damp; she wondered why she hadn't had the foresight to bring folding chairs. She had been vaguely entertaining the thought of asking Naoto-san to bring some necessities before she remembered that he had manipulated her secretary into taking the day off, leaving the two of them completely alone for the first time. Despite herself –arrogant self-assurance and all the personality faults she was infamous for - she was slightly uncomfortable with the setup, even after a month of hanging around with the blasted man on an almost daily basis.

Glancing surreptitiously to her right, she wondered how he was faring in terms of comfort; surely those designer jeans wouldn't survive such harsh seating conditions? But Yunoki Azuma was contentedly sitting in a leisurely squat, enthusiastically mashing his preferred blueberry frozen yogurt, happily bobbing his head in time to the rock music floating through the cold night air.

Rolling her eyes at the starless heavens, Sawasaki Erisu ate her remaining chocolate froyo, decidedly ignoring the tumultuous roar of the thousand-strong crowd that completely surrounded her.

Yunoki was making a vain attempt to clap with his occupied hands – had he completely forgotten that he was holding a paper cup half-filled with melted ice? She purposefully frowned excessively; she wanted to express her disapproval of his endeavor, but was too far away to make herself heard against the crowd. The man, proving his ability to notice the tiniest details, saw this, and, curse him, moved closer to her in the grass.

Her back stiffened as he leaned close.

"Did you want to say something?" he asked, eyes looking straight at her, unblinking. "I can tell by that look on your face you weren't too happy with the last band. Would you like to go home?"

"No, it's fine," she answered, sharply looking away. "Shirou still hasn't played yet. We can't go home until we hear them."

Yunoki's expression turned thoughtful as he slowly straightened up. Taking advantage of the silent period during the band turnover, he asked, out of sheer curiosity, "Have you ever been on a concert like this before?"

Erisu shot a glance at him; he calmly returned her gaze. Frowning slightly, she gave the honest answer, "No, I haven't. Rock music isn't really my thing. I'm only watching this because Sato and Oribe will be playing…"

"Hmmmm," Yunoki merely acknowledged. He knew she was hiding something; she didn't seem at all bothered by the fact that they were squatting in a large, grassy field, eating frozen yogurt, surrounded by a thousand warm, sweaty bodies capable of creating a remarkably loud noise. In fact she seemed more… sad… than irritated. Had this been one thing she wanted to do with Tsukimori?

Suddenly, she started, straightening up as her alert eyes scanned the stage up ahead. Taking in a sharp breath, he saw more than heard her whisper, "Finally."

Sato Satoshi, grey hair spiked uncharacteristically for tonight's occasion, appeared before the microphone, suddenly preoccupied with muttering 'mic test' over and over. Behind him, the other band members gathered; Erisu could see Oribe Heiji checking his guitar as well. Was it her imagination or did he seem oddly listless tonight?

Before she could ponder on it further, however, Sato spoke, his voice strangely deep.

"Good evening, Kujoin!" he shouted as a greeting into the microphone, raising a hand at the crowd, which shouted back its disjointed reply. [2] "We're Shirou, and this is _Disenchantment_." [2] [3]

The crowd fell into a pensive wave of silence as the opening notes filtered out of Oribe's guitar. A solo, a heartfelt, almost angry one that convinced Erisu that _yes – there was something wrong. _

And Sato's voice:

"_Woke up in tangles again today,_

_Your hair on my skin in tangles, tangles-_

_Should have known better than to reach out, to touch;_

_Dreams fade when you start wishing they're real."_

"The melody's beautiful," she heard Yunoki say aloud, a vague comment floating amidst the gentle swaying of the watchful crowd, heads moving in time to a strange rhythm that reminded Erisu of space and seagulls. "You can almost hear the _longing_ in the song-"

"It's too melodramatic," she heard herself stammer mechanically. For some reason, her mind felt oddly blank – numb, void. "There are too many notes. Whoever wrote it doesn't understand exactly what he wants to say…"

"_And each day I wonder_

_Do you ever catch my eyes on you?_

_Or do you hide each time you feel me falling? _

_How do I know if you feel the same way? _

_How do I know when it's safe to say- _

_You mean more to me than I can ever tell you?"_

Yunoki considered her for a brief moment; she was sitting ramrod straight, blinking madly to clear her muddled thoughts. But her emotions shone in her eyes, those emerald orbs reflecting the stage lights, but not seeing the performance. He wondered if she was even listening to the song… Could she even hear it?

She didn't even notice him looking away…

"_Trying to escape your eyes tonight_

_Their moonlight haunts me, taunts me, searching;_

_Shadows I chase after in my dreams,_

_Are you going somewhere-_

_Or just running away?"_

"You don't really like yogurt, do you?"

Yunoki turned sharply, surprised by the question. "No, I don't." His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You mean you knew all this time and still you kept insisting we eat this frozen nightmare?"

"He liked yogurt," she said softly, holding her paper cup in pale hands. [4] "Although he always ate the plain one – never anything else."

Sighing in exasperation, Yunoki glared at a random point away from her, the music and the crowd collapsing away into irrelevance. "Do I need to remind you that you – _we _– are working hard to rid you of his memory? Thinking of him all the time will _not_ help-"

"You know what Naoto-san told me?" Throwing her cup aside, she threw her arms out and faced the stars, posture practically shouting _I-don't-care-if-an-asteroid-lands-right-here-right-now-and-wipes-the-earth-clean. _"He told me that maybe I'm so bummed about Len dumping me not because I really loved him but because my pride couldn't take being left behind."

To Yunoki's absolute horror, he realized she had started to cry.

"Interfering, prying, overbearing, middle-aged male secretary!" she continued, voice cracking slightly as she chuckled a bit at herself. "But the worst part is, it absolutely makes sense, you know? My pride can't handle being dumped by a guy I chased after relentlessly, not when I was so used to being on the other side of the relationship."

Distractedly wiping her tears, she turned to Yunoki, and, not really seeing him, continued, "But when I think about it, I really don't think that's a sufficient reason. Had it been any other guy that I chased, had it been any other guy that I had dated – I still wouldn't feel this hurt. It's like… like… _I can't breathe_. There are moments when I think of Len, and the next thing I know, I'm bawling like mad. _It's him. _It's not me – _it's him_."

Worried, he reached out to touch her shoulder; she didn't even flinch when he put an arm around her, pulling her close as she continued ranting, crying.

"I guess… it hurts so much because I know I'll never find anybody else like him," she muttered, leaning dazedly against his shoulder. "There's no one else like him. No one else has his quirks, no one has his infuriating smile, no one else makes music the way he does."

"Rubbish," Yunoki couldn't help interrupting. "Of course there is-"

"But no one else will see me the way he did." She paused, inhaling sharply. "Or the way I thought he did… I'm too much of a wreck. Too tactless, too selfish, too annoying. Too obnoxious, too _mad _to be loved by anyone-"

"Shut up," he scolds her, shaking her slightly. Surprising both of them with the informality of his tone, he nevertheless plowed on, "You're insulting my intelligence. Do you even know why I asked you to join this plan?"

Erisu frowned, a trickle of tears silently flowing down her cheeks as she narrowed her eyes in thought. "Come to think of it, I never really asked. I always supposed it's because you knew I could relate to Rumi. Because I knew how much it hurts to discover the person you're in love never loved you anyway. That he was only humoring you-"

"Wrong," he replied, a dark edge to his voice. "It's because I needed someone Rumi would feel threatened by. Someone who wouldn't generate any questions. When I tell her it's you I've replaced her with, she'll take one look at you and understand…"

A pregnant pause. With her head still on his shoulder, she realized something…

"_Every moment is a dream, a never ending reality;_

_And you're but a breath away, a sigh away-_

_A whisper- A dream- A fantasy-_

_You'll be real, you'll be mine…_

_And I'll wake up to the smell of your skin,_

_Each hour for the rest of eternity…"_

"Speaking of the plan," Erisu began – awkwardly extricating herself from Yunoki's disturbingly warm embrace – "does Fujioka know yet?"

Yunoki looked slightly wary, but said nothing. "She has her suspicions," he replied vaguely. "Which is why I think we should tone down the publicity. It's the natural reaction to situations like this."

"So…" She considered the way he began looking around as if searching for something, the way his face had gotten suddenly blank. "We're not going to _Vernum Autumnalis _tonight?"

"No, not tonight," Yunoki said simply, tone carefully measured. "I don't think we should see each other for a while. Not until the premiere…"

"Right…"

They both looked on blankly as Shirou bowed in response to the adulation of the crowd. The first song had won them over – this unknown band, where did it come from? Where had this music been hiding?

"I should go," Erisu said suddenly, snapping to her senses. Standing up, she tried to ignore the fact that Yunoki was staring at her with furrowed eyebrows.

"You're not going to hear the rest of the songs?"

"Nah- I don't think I-" For lack of anything better to do, she picked up her paper cup – and his – as he got to his feet as well.

"I'll walk you to the entrance," he offered.

"No need to bother," she replied, oddly feeling compelled to reassure him with a smile. "I'll just wait for Naoto-san out there-"

"But it's not safe-"

"No, it's not," she agreed. "It was stupid for us to come here in the first place."

Fully understanding the meaning behind her words – and realizing she was right – Yunoki stood rooted to the spot as she self-consciously turned around and walked away, meshing into a crowd of people who were chanting for the next song. It was the first time she had ever cut a meeting short. He wondered if it was also the last time he would ever see her again like this…

And he decided, as she took one last look behind her – _No, it was not. _

XXX

"Where's Kobayashi?"

Tsukimori Len stood before a sulking Hino Kahoko, easily holding three cups of steaming coffee with both hands. Pouting up at him, taking one of the cups, Kahoko replied, "Cooling her head. I think I riled her up a bit."

Thoughtful, he slowly sat down, taking care to put the other cups on the plastic chair between them. "Now why would you do that? Or, better yet, _how _did you do that? Kobayashi isn't exactly known for her general lack of patience."

"Well… I-" Kahoko pondered, tracing the cup with her nails. "I gave her some unsolicited love advice. I think she's just a bit too emotional at the moment – she can't separate her feelings from her head."

Tsukimori merely picked up his preferred coffee cup and slowly drank from it, letting the warmth wash over his tired bones. And in his head, unspoken thoughts played: _Maybe she felt it was a case of the pot calling the kettle black. You, of all people, giving her love advice-_

"Hey, Len, have you met Reiji?" she suddenly inquired.

Slightly disoriented, Tsukimori turned a confused face at her, frowning slightly. "How did you know about Reiji?"

Kahoko scratched her cheek – a habit Tsukimori realized, with a pleasant jolt, had come from him. "Nami told me about him… It seems she and Takishima have talked it over…"

As one, they turned to look at the couple in question; Takishima Makoto and Amou Nami were looking over an open window nearby, looking for stars and laughing quietly at some inside joke only the two of them shared. They were the picture of contented happiness, his arm thrown around her carelessly, her eyes holding nothing but admiration for him…

"She's really scared of meeting him," Kahoko voiced aloud, watching her friend pinch Takishima's nose playfully. "She tries not to show it, but, well- It does."

"She shouldn't worry," Tsukimori assured her, draining the last of his coffee. "Reiji's a good kid. He's amiable and charming… A tad too much of a prankster, but taking his paternal heritage into consideration, I suppose that's a given."

His eyes twinkled as he exchanged a gaze with Kahoko, cracking a faint smile as he picked up the remaining cup of coffee. She let him, as he knew she would. Unnerved, Kahoko directed her gaze at the tiled marble floor. When had they gotten to the point when they knew how to predict each other's movements so well?

"Len, why did you break up with Erisu?"

The burning sensation in his tongue did not bode well for the future of this conversation.

"Where did that come from?" he asked outright, dabbing uselessly at the dark, wet spot that had landed on his shirt. "One moment we were talking about Reiji, and the next you're bringing up a completely different topic-!"

"I was just thinking, you know…" Kahoko replied casually, taking out her handkerchief, and distractedly patting the stain on Tsukimori's shirt. Narrow-eyed, he watched her hands move, waiting for her to say the next few words that she would undoubtedly verbalize without thinking over them thoroughly. "She got really hurt. She even wrote a song about it- it was so heartbreaking Rumi-san decided to override the previous ending theme and replace it with the thing Erisu wrote."

"When was this?" he asked, frowning. "I've never heard of this."

"Last month, I guess," she replied, backing away, still clutching the handkerchief in her fingers. "You mean you've never heard it? _The One That Got Away?_ [3] Shirou's performing it as well…"

When Tsukimori slowly began to shake his head, she leaned her back on the wall behind her, and, waving her handkerchief around, began to sing her personal version of the song in question.

"_And though we've said our last goodbyes,_

_A part of me's attached to you._

_Can't let go, I can't let go-_

'_Cause you're the only love I know…"_

Oblivious to the stiffening of her companion, the strange shimmer in his eyes, she continued to sing-

"_Forever in my heart you'll be-_

_The one that got away from me-" _

"Why are you making things so difficult for both of us?" he suddenly asked in a dangerously, painfully low voice. Dropping her hands, opening the eyes she hadn't realized had been shut as she surrendered herself to the song completely, she turned to him, and saw the question, the anguish, reflected in his eyes. "Why do you keep pushing me away when you know who I want to be with?"

Silently considering his question, she slowly turned away, asking the same thing. Truth be told, she didn't know. She didn't know why. All she knew was that she didn't deserve this – him – any of it.

"You're a better match, you and Erisu," she said in a low voice, talking to the handkerchief in her hands, obliviously floating away from everything. "When I think of everything she's done for you, how much she's changed you, I think I'll never be able to be that kind of person for you-"

"But it's not that is it?"

She turned to him sharply, eyes narrowing, the hairs in the back of her neck standing up as her insides plunged in some cold, turbulent feeling. "What do you mean that's not it? Of course it is-"

"No, it's not," he replied, pulling at her wrist, his eyes never leaving her face. "We both know what your true reasons are."

In vain, she tried to pull her hand away. "Len, don't be stupid. Let me go-!"

"I know you're sick," he said; her movements immediately ceased, her eyes widening as her lips parted of their own accord. "I've researched your condition; I've spoken with Kaji Aoi; I know everything there is to know, and frankly- _I don't care_."

Seeing the blank, dazed look in her eyes, he worriedly eased forward, closing the gap between them as he loosened his grip on her hands. "Kahoko. _Please be reasonable. _Stop lying to me. Can't we just… talk? I'm tired of seeing you like this; I'm tired of trying to read your mind. I just want to know how you feel about… things. And I-"

In one fluid motion, she flicked his hand away and stood up.

He was too slow – much too slow, much too lost in his own confusion to realize she was running away from him away again. Holding his gaze – fear meeting uncertainty – she backed away slowly, just as he was only beginning to stand up. Turning, she could feel Nami and Takishima looking their way, their faces a joined mask of bewilderment. Nami asking what was going on; Takishima checking up on the man she was running away from.

Running. Away. _Again._

The last sound she heard before the elevator doors shut was a man's voice, deep and low against the quiet of the hallway corridor, softly asking, "What happened?"

And his reply - resigned, tired. He never spoke a single world, but she knew him all too well.

**A/N: **

Again, sorry for the monotonous narration; as I write this, my hell weeks in school loom ever closer, ever more sinister, and my spirit's lost in a sea of enthalpy and Human Rights. Also, I'd like to apologize for the obvious OOCness of The Amazing Ice Cube; I just seriously _can't _write him. Hence, the reinvention.

On a happy note, I finally finished the rough outline for the rest of this story! Sadly, I'm afraid I'll have to retract my previous statement: aside from the epilogue and prologue, there will be 14 chapters for this story, not 13. I was inspired by a sudden brain wave, and curiously, said brain wave granted me enough material for an entire chapter. Not sure if that's a bad thing, or a good thing, but it's happening, either way. ::D

So, upcoming: the last 4 chapters and an epilogue.

**Revenge of the Footnotes**

[1] _Mami_. Makoto X Nami. Haha! Geddit! Haha! Haha!

[2] _Kujoin [Hall]_. _Shirou._ Invention.

[3] _Disenchantment. The One That Got Away. _Sadly, I have to own up to the crappiness of my own poetry. Have I ever told you that I only write for my own entertainment? 0.o No poking fun!

[4] _Len likes yogurt_. This is true. I read this somewhere when I was looking up information to feed my _La Corda_ fantasies – yes, the same Inner Mind Theater that brought you this fic.


	12. Chapter 11: Backstage Conflict

**Bridging the Gap **

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Chapter Eleven: The Conflict Happens Backstage**

**A/N: **

Chap Eleventh, up earlier than expected! This is a chapter I personally find confusing, not because there are too many things happening at the same time, but because there are too many _implied _emotions that aren't expressed verbally. So yeah, trouble getting those across.

The usual warning: mad plotline with the typical tendency to OOCize everyone, esp. a certain Almighty Ice Cube. But the chapter's generally straightforward – hope you like it! ::D [A note: I believe this chapter contains the maddest, most WHUT-worthy moment of this entire fanfic. Kindly consider it my version of a filler chapter/scene, and if it's too gruesome to imagine… well, you'll have to bear with it, I suppose.]

Thanks for reading _BTG_!

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own _La Corda d'Oro_; the whole concept belongs to Kure Yuki-sensei.

This fanfic is based on _Primo Passo_.

**Previously: **

**Chapter Ten: Failed Attempts**

"I know you're sick," he said; her movements immediately ceased, her eyes widening as her lips parted of their own accord. "I've researched your condition; I've spoken with Kaji Aoi; I know everything there is to know, and frankly- _I don't care_."

**Chapter Eleven: The Conflict Happens Backstage**

_March, Shattered Symphony Premiere After-Party_

_Café Banzai_

She beckoned him to come closer, hiding behind a large panel board by the darker side of the stage, separating the two of them from the rowdy, rather large crowd. Yunoki Azuma acquiesced, stepping forward in his usual elegant manner, hands in his pockets, an innocently unremorseful expression on his face.

Fujioka Rumi, all five-two of her, inwardly braced herself and took the proverbial plunge.

"I want to know what there is between you and Sawasaki Erisu," she demanded, tone and volume reasonably controlled considering the internal turmoil she was presently going through. [1] "Early on, I was warned of your tendency to date several women at once – a fact I believed I could easily overlook – but this is too much. _You are blatantly parading yourselves all over Tokyo_. Are you doing this just to irritate me or is there some vague, noble reason behind your despicable disrespect for my reputation, not to mention, my feelings?"

Yunoki took his time, apparently observing the premature lines on her face caused by stress. Then, sighing softly, he asked, "Why do you want to know? I thought you said you could handle it-"

"I _believed _I could handle it," Rumi corrected impatiently, crossing her arms across her chest. "There's a large difference, one I can't believe I overlooked-"

"It shouldn't matter; you've seen me with countless women before-"

"But this isn't just a _woman_ – this is the prime minister's daughter-!"

"She's more than that, I assure you-"

"The point is you spend much more time with her than you used to with your other lovers, and you don't seem to care whether I find out or not!" Rumi demanded, arms uncrossing, fists clenching. "I want to know – and I demand that you _tell me the truth_. Are you in love with Sawasaki Erisu?"

Not once did he blink. He merely stared at her: the hard line of her jaw, the fire in her eyes, her anger – palpable and unstoppable. This was the moment he had been waiting for all these months. It was the most important thing that had occupied his thoughts for most of his past waking hours. But now… it seemed excruciatingly difficult to drive at the most important point.

The most important point.

"Yes," Yunoki said, completely devoid of any observable emotion. "Yes, I suppose so."

She straightened up, drawing herself to full height, and for a moment, Yunoki was worried that she would burst into tears. After a few moments of furious breathing, however, she laughed instead - laughter so hollow, so fake, Yunoki thought he would have preferred to have her punch him in the gut.

"Fine then," she spoke remarkably levelly, once the laughter had subsided. "I'll cancel our engagement."

The careful creasing of the eyebrows, the slightly troubled eyes…

"We don't have to cancel the engagement. I could just end things with her-"

"No," she argued with finality, stepping away as he moved to step closer to her. "We will end the engagement, and that's that. Perhaps… I was wrong to think marrying you without love would work."

An awkward moment passed, during which they regarded each other with a mixture of regret, guilt and sadness. She turned away first, muttering something about having to give a speech, words he couldn't comprehend nor had the capacity to at that moment. As she began to walk away, he caught her wrist, and pulled her to a stop; the hand did not even flinch.

Not looking at her, keeping his eyes on a random spot in the darkness surrounding them both, he whispered, "If I thought I could make you happy, I would have. You deserve someone better, and I think both of us know that."

She tensed as if to turn around and say something in reply to his words. But, before their eyes could meet, she froze, considering what he truly meant.

She realized she didn't really care anymore.

"I suppose we don't always get what we want," she muttered, pulling her hand away. "We had this coming, the both of us…"

As her hand fell to her side, limp, they both stood in silence, darkness, considering their thoughts, and what the future held in store for them now that they were to part. She apparently didn't want to think much about it – or had she planned this moment long ago as well? He watched her walk away feeling something strangely akin to regret… and in the end, berated himself for not having enough resolve not to feel hurt by what he had done.

XXX

Hino Kahoko slinked deeper into the shadows of _Café Banzai_, trying to blend in with the wall décor and disappear from his line of sight forever. He had been looking at her intermittently in a strangely blank, steely gaze for more than five hours now, even before the movie premiere – he seemed absolutely determined not to let her out of his vision.

_And by the looks of it_… She shot Takishima Makoto a surreptitious glance. He appeared to be talking to one of the members of RS Oke, but the moment she looked at him, he turned away from the conversation and, grinning his signature cocky grin, raised his wine glass at her. [2]

_Great_. Her only consolation was that they were biding their time, waiting for her to surrender first.

"Hino-san," a refreshing, oddly familiar voice spoke from her right. "It's been a while!"

She turned just in time to see Sato Satoshi slowly making his way toward her, one hand on a can of coke, the other stuffed in his pocket. There was a small, contented smile on his face – the same smile she had always loved seeing on him. Somehow, even now, she felt comforted by his serene aura. Perhaps it was one of those things that made him so effective as a rock star.

"Sato-san," she acknowledged as he came to stop before her, barely topping her height. "It's been a while. How are you?"

"Fine, I guess," he replied, shrugging slightly. "Things have been a bit hectic, and I've gone completely _off_ my career track, but at least I'm enjoying what I do. _We're _enjoying what we do, Heiji and I." With a nod, he gestured toward his cousin, who was trying to make conversation with an irate Kobayashi Nao, who was tending the bar. "But anyway…"

"How are you Hino-san?" he inquired good-naturedly. "You disappeared for a while. Where'd you go?"

"Oh? I- um." He was, of course, Tsukimori's friend – telling him where she went was like informing Tsukimori, too. Still, did the details matter that much now?

"I went to Saga-ken," she replied honestly, smiling faintly. [3] "I visited… a friend."

"I heard you resigned as chief distraction maker for the upcoming wedding party," Sato mentioned casually, raising the can to his lips but never once letting his gaze leave Kahoko's face. "Hamai-san was talking about it the other day."

_Definitely, definitely a spy. One who doesn't bother to hide his intentions, at that. _

"Well, technically, I wasn't needed anymore," she tried to explain, feeling she wasn't really going to be able to convince anyone of anything tonight. "And Misa-san understood that, so she let me resign…"

"But you're here."

"Hm? Yes, of course I'm here. I'm needed here."

_I can't keep running away forever. _

"Speaking of which," Kahoko chirped, suddenly remembering something. "I heard you got a gold. That's amazing, really it is. Congratulations-"

"Yeah, thanks," Sato replied, grinning ear-to-ear. "I still can't believe it sometimes. You know _Disenchanted_'s made it to the national charts?"

"Hang on," Kahoko interrupted, holding a hand up and frowning in concentration. "Is this the one that goes: _How do I know if you feel the same way? How do I know when it's safe to say-"_

"_You mean more to me than I can ever tell you?" _Sato finished. "Yeah, that's the one. Turned out to be a sleeper hit. And to think, we owe it all to Tsukimori over there-"

He gestured toward Tsukimori, who was standing across the room, silently laughing at a joke Hihara Kazuki was sharing to a gathering crowd. Kahoko, confused, turned back to Sato, who was staring at her unblinkingly, and asked, "What do you mean you owe it all to Len?"

"He wrote the song," Sato replied simply. "It wasn't even supposed to be part of our album, but given how much people loved it during the Kujoin Fest, our producers decided to buy the rights from him. [4] Only, of course, he refused to accept the money, saying he didn't write that song for any other reason that to have it heard."

_To have it heard by whom? _

The questioned dangerously played on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to ask it, and she knew, from the look on his face, that Sato wanted her to ask it as well. Biting her lip, Kahoko turned to look across the room, at him.

Frankly, she wasn't all that surprised to see him holding her gaze.

"Well…" she continued, a strange buzzing filling her ears. "Congratulations again, either way." She smiled and began to back away. "If you'll excuse me, I just have to go… somewhere…"

Sato merely watched her back away deeper into the crowd with a small frown on his face, the sweating can of coke forgotten in his hand. Kahoko walked on, bumping into people without pausing to apologize, ignoring the complaints and grunts of pain that seemed the soundtrack of her retreat. Keeping her eyes on the well-polished dance floor, she would have barreled on unceasingly had not a hand grabbed her own, forcing her to look up.

"Kaho-san?" It was Sawasaki Erisu, looking resplendent as usual even with her long, dark hair tied up in a messy ponytail, fashionably geeky glasses perched on the tip of her nose. A pair of emerald green eyes surveyed Kahoko mercilessly. "Why are you knocking people over?"

"Eri-chan!" the older woman exclaimed, completely taken by surprise. "I – uh – couldn't really… get through-"

"Minna-san, your attention please!" Hakuba Kenjirou, director's assistant and host of the evening by unanimous vote, suddenly appeared onstage bearing a microphone. Feeling the eyes of the hundred-strong crowd resting leisurely on him, waiting for the next cue, he grinned toothily and announced, "Sorry to keep you waiting! The _Shattered Symphony Post-Production Drink 'Til Dawn Fantastic Celebration _is officially on!"

Cheers, howls and catcalls greeted the pronouncement as a blue banner decked in white and yellow paper flowers popped out of a giant orange ball, complete with a resounding crack and the blare of makeshift trumpets. Distracted by the rather absurd sight, Erisu craned over the heads of several people to see what was going on, hand still on Kahoko's.

"And to welcome us all to this evening's celebration, may I now call on the production mastermind, Fujioka Rumi-sama!" With his usual flair and flamboyance, Hakuba performed a pseudo-side split and landed in a rather awkward position, a hand pointing to the side of the stage where Fujioka Rumi emerged from the shadows with her traditional steely smile and cold, sparkling eyes.

Chuckling slightly to hide the sudden chill she felt at seeing Rumi, Erisu turned to her companion and commented, "Your manager's not exactly the cool, calculating type is he-?"

But Kahoko was gone, and Erisu's hand was floating on its lonesome, clutching nothing.

Frowning, Erisu looked around, slightly irritated that Kahoko had given her the slip. To think, she was only trying to be friendly, and the other woman discarded her without even giving her a chance! Mumbling to herself, she ignored the curious looks of the people standing close to her. So used to the unsolicited attention was she by now, that she had gotten to the point where when people turned to look at her, she stopped wondering if they were taking notice because of her reputation, or because she had done something weird again. Turning to the stage, she realized she had missed Rumi's opening lines because of her distraction; cursing inwardly, she mumbled to herself again.

"- so happy that we wrapped up this project on time," Rumi was saying amidst the light laughter of her audience. "I was beginning to think we wouldn't finish it in time for the announced premiere, given the weather problems, the unforeseen lawsuits, the highly appreciated but nevertheless troublesome flocks of fan girls traipsing to our filming sites to get pictures taken with their idols," she actually managed an eye-roll in the general direction of Matsuda Shun and Hihara Kazuki, who had the decency to pretend to look abashed. Grinning in a frighteningly practiced manner, she turned a roving eye at the audience again. "Many problems, but somehow we… made it through."

At some point during the speech, Rumi and Erisu's eyes had met. Both women froze, startled at the eye contact. The latter found herself unable to look away, the former seemed to have forgotten that she was in the middle of giving a speech. And then… the narrowing of eyes, the furrowing of eyebrows, and the slightly unnerving fact that Fujioka Rumi, dragon-lady in the making of an entertainment empire, looked away first.

"Um… we made it, I guess…"

Erisu stood in shock, fingers having lost all capacity to sense as a chill crept up her arms all the way to her hairline. What was that reaction? So uncharacteristic, so unguarded, so… un-Rumi. In that singular moment, the young woman realized the truth: Rumi knew. Yunoki had finally told her.

"Don't worry about it," a voice suddenly whispered into her ear. "Nobody noticed."

Turning, Erisu found herself staring straight into the topaz eyes of Yunoki Azuma, who stood right behind her, a gentle, most alien expression on his usually blank face. Apparently having anticipated her imminent lack of reaction, he smiled and added, "Except for me, of course."

"You've told her then?" Erisu inquired, feeling coming back to her nerve endings as she became dimly aware that Yunoki's hand was on her arm. Shaking it away none too gently, she remarked, "Looks like it didn't go too well."

The sudden shift in his expression confirmed her hunch. "It's better for us to talk outside," he whispered, leaning close. "It's Rumi's party, after all…"

Through the gap above his shoulders, the proximity afforded by Yunoki's apparent simulation of an intimate gesture, Erisu saw Eiji-sama staring at the pair of them with an ill-disguised expression of curiosity. Stiffening at the thirst written all over his face, she summoned her abundant reservoir of willpower, and softly rested a hand on Yunoki's back.

Blatantly ignoring first his tension, followed by the rather disturbing familiarity with which he reached for her free hand, Erisu forced down the sudden constricted feeling in her chest as she whispered to him, "Lead the way."

They broke off, both conscious of the stares they were generating among the people standing closest to them. Head bowed, face set at the ready, Yunoki walked straight into the crowd, Erisu trying not to observe his retreating back. When she felt it was safe to follow, she turned on her heel, and stalked after Yunoki, doing her best to keep a straight face as she walked past Eiji-sama, who was sporting an obviously triumphant expression. The crowd stood oblivious to all these as they politely clapped at the rather confusing, if not downright incomprehensible, speech their boss had just given.

"Thank you, Rumi-sama, for your warm words," Hakuba spoke into the microphone enthusiastically, obviously not having understood anything from the welcome address either. "And now, we move on to the most exciting part of this evening, the most electrifying icebreaker invented in the history of company parties… _the inter-team karaoke sing-and-dance showdown_!"

Snorting, Erisu wordlessly marveled over how utterly inane the idea was, managing to feel at least a bit appalled even with the concentration she was pouring into her escape. Around her, however, people seemed to look forward to the event, considering the volume of their shouts and screeches of support for their respective teams' candidates.

"I know right? It's the most amazing part of the program!" Hakuba commented good-naturedly in response to something someone off-stage shouted. "But anyway, we're getting ahead of ourselves. I'm sure I don't have to tell you the mechanics of this game – fifty percent of the score comes from the all-knowing karaoke machine, and fifty percent comes from audience impact-"

As she dodged a group of rowdy cameramen, Erisu rolled her eyes and wondered if they were even capable of counting an abstract criterion such as audience impact.

"So without further ado, I give to you our first team of the evening - the marketing team!"

Claps and an unbelievably loud noise emerged from the throats of the audience; Erisu highly suspected her coworkers to be intoxicated already. Spotting one of the accountants making out with an extra from the movie, Erisu smirked to herself and silently thanked the heavens for the necessity of her leaving that place. The front door was already in sight when a most unexpected voice spoke in magnified tones and made her freeze.

"Good evening, everyone," a deep, impossible-to-miss-anywhere baritone assailed her eardrums, rapping at her brain, and demanding to be given attention. "We're the representatives from the marketing team, _Tsukimori and the Whiteheads_." [4]

With a slight gasp, Erisu straightened up and looked towards the stage. Sure enough, Tsukimori Len was standing there with a slightly embarrassed look on his face, Oribe Heiji and Sato Satoshi deep in conversation behind him as Takishima Makoto fiddled with the remote control of the karaoke machine. Around her, the audience had erupted into a raging wildfire of gossip, as some women from the creatives department actually screamed out, "We love you, Tsukimori-sama!"

"We're not really part of the administrative department… actually," Tsukimori muttered into the microphone, gaze falling awkwardly as he heard the women cheer. "The freeloaders' department, more like." He seemed to have regained his good cheer again, as he grinned sheepishly in time to the audience laughing at his little joke. "But, well, Fujioka-san forced us to participate in this game – I think she desperately wants to be exempted from performing?" he asked in what was perhaps a deliberately husky voice, looking over at Rumi, who was perched on the bar, shaking her head and waving a hand at him as though to make him shush. "And, well, considering the large inconvenience you experienced in Aozu… I suppose it's only fair to perform horrendously enough to keep you entertained for a few days…"

He ignored the collective guffaw that weaved through the audience, face turning serious as he exchanged a few words with Takishima. Erisu couldn't help staring. _Len… singing? _It wasn't as if she'd never heard him sing before – in fact, he was a remarkably capable singer – but for him to be singing in front of a crowd of this magnitude _practically of his own sheer will? _

She stood there, gaping, with her mouth open.

"Right, so, my personal voice coach tells me we're good to go," Tsukimori told the audience as Takishima raised a hand behind him, nodding consecutively with a smarmy grin on his face, much to the delight of his orchestra. "We – _I _– will be singing something from the immortal anime _Slam Dunk_, as my back-up dancers do their… er… thing." At this, Oribe lazily cracked a grin as Sato began to do what looked like his personal version of _Pearly Shells_. "This is _Until the World Comes to an End_." [5]

He stepped back from the microphone stand suddenly, sobering up as his three friends positioned their backs to the audience. Then, after what looked like a short but nonetheless excruciating internal struggle, Tsukimori stepped forward once more, and in what was almost a whisper, announced:

"To the person I'm dedicating this song to… you know who you are."

The opening notes of the song drowned out the polite clapping and frenzied whispering of the audience. Still rooted to the spot, Erisu sensed some people looking her way, unabashedly pointing at her before erupting in whispers. Some, however, noticeably looked past her, decidedly ignoring her, choosing to stare at something – _someone _– far behind her…

And Erisu realized the Japanese paparazzi were efficient, after all.

Searching the crowd for that one person - the one face he couldn't find in a sea of gazes upturned to watch him - Tsukimori reached out for the microphone, and sang the first few lines with questions reflected in his eyes:

"_I'm all alone in the big city,__  
__thrown away like an empty can.__  
__If love is love until we know everything about each other__  
__Then let's sleep forever..."_

Erisu barely felt the hand that rested on her shoulder - the same warm, familiar touch that had been comforting her in untimely, heart-wrenching moments such as this. Slowly, almost glacially, she turned to meet the gaze she knew would be directed at her; Yunoki's topaz eyes, holding a strange, distant message she couldn't read in this time of distress. His gaze seemed to be searching her expression, inquiring whether she was okay as he searched her face for any readable emotion, any opportunity for him to intervene in that chivalrous, uncanny nature of his…

Trying to crack a grin, she sobered as a single drop of wetness hit her cheek – she hadn't realized she had been crying. Lips parting slightly, she saw him smile - faintly, painfully - as he reached up to flick the tear away…

Tsukimori was still singing, and Erisu couldn't move or run away.

"_Until the world come to an end, we won't be apart.__  
__I wished it for countless nights__  
__Why does the past destroy even the worn-out heart that shines?__  
__Melancholically fleeting thoughts... on this tragedy night"_

Gathering the courage to look up at him again, Erisu found Tsukimori staring determinedly past her, eyes locked on a single target. Takishima, Sato and Oribe were dancing languidly and comically behind him, but there was nothing spare an expression of sheer seriousness on his face that showed just how much emotion he wanted to put into his song.

_His song. For _her_. _

Seeing him so taken that way, the breath caught in Erisu's throat. In that instant, watching him look over her when once, he had eyes for her and her only, she felt like falling to her knees right then and there. And as a strange buzzing filled her ears - fog coming over her senses - she involuntarily turned around to look at what – _who_ – Tsukimori's gaze was solely for.

A firm grip pulled her before she could fully turn away.

"Erisu," Yunoki warned, something resembling a plea written all over his face. "We should go."

She stumbled over her words, her thoughts incoherent. He was… shielding her in this one moment when she wanted release instead of protection. "But… I-"

He smiled again, and the pressure on her shoulder shifted. "Let's go," he whispered in a voice that quavered with slight emotion, a gaffe that he vainly tried to gloss over with yet another smile. "We shouldn't be here."

Erisu looked up at him, blinking rapidly, the heavy moisture hanging on her eyelashes making the act of even closing her eyes an exhausting task. Exhaling forcefully, trying to clear her thoughts and make it out of there alive, she nodded at Yunoki with a faint smile plastered on her face.

She would get out of this room - get him out of her head, out of her heart.

With a hand, she covered the fingers that rested on her shoulder, and pressed them with gratitude. Yunoki's now blank gaze turned to their joined hands, staring silently for a moment, before her hand fell to her side, and she slowly stepped away.

That unnerving smile was still on her face. And a whisper, her lips forming the same words she had used a few minutes, an entire lifetime, ago,

"Lead the way."

**A/N: **

Thanks for reading _BTG! _::D

PS I'm currently addicted to the _Ghost Hunt _fandom. _GH _fans might want to read all of calkat's stories, particularly _The History of War_. Shameless promotion for another of my favorite authors. ::D

**Revenge of the Footnotes: **

[1] _…what there is between you and… _A line from the HP litdom – guess which book? Krum says this to Harry about Hermione; love this particular confrontation scene.

[2] _RS Oke_ belongs to Ninomiya Tomoko-sensei of Nodame Cantabile fame.

[3] _Saga Prefecture. _I had to give a report on this in Jap class once. Generally provincial place.

[4] _Kujoin Rock Music Festival. Tsukimori and the Whiteheads. _Sheer invention.

[5] _Sekai ga Owaru Made Wa (_performed by _Wands)_ comes from the timeless anime _Slam Dunk_. It is, of course, Japanese in the original; I'm using the official animelyrics translation here. I highly suggest you listen to the song, as it's breathtaking. ::) Here's my fave version: .com/watch?v=cCgl7ksUYAs&feature=related


	13. Chapter 12: Gossip Saves

**Bridging the Gap **

**Chapter Twelve: Gossip Saves**

**A/N: **

_[22 October 2010]_ Allo! ::D We're almost at the end of this thing. Just two more chapters after this one, including an epilogue. To clarify, this chapter is the 'brain child' I sort of mentioned a couple of chapters ago. It's not exactly necessary, but somehow I feel better writing it in. Also, again, please forgive me for the haphazard writing; I don't think I'm doing a very good job of describing things, haha. ::D

Reference for the flashback is _Chapter Three: Konbini Confessions_. Thank you for reading _BTG! _::D

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own _La Corda d'Oro_; the whole concept belongs to Kure Yuki-sensei.

This fanfic is based on _Primo Passo_.

**Previously:**

**Chapter Eleven: The Conflict Happens Backstage**

_Erisu looked up at him, blinking rapidly, the heavy moisture hanging in her eyelashes making the act of even closing her eyes an exhausting task. Exhaling forcefully, trying to clear her thoughts and make it out of there alive, she nodded at Yunoki with a faint smile plastered on her face._

_She would get out of this room - get him out of her head, out of her heart. _

**Chapter Twelve: Gossip Saves**

_March_

_Café Banzai_

_Shattered Symphony Premiere After-Party_

Tsuchiura Ryoutaro had been determined to spend the evening in solitude - getting sloshed at the counter of Café Banzai, happily puffing away. Tsukimori Len, however, forever true to his life's mission of disturbing the makeshift tranquility of Tsuchiura's life, had tapped his shoulder a little past midnight, demanding to know where a certain Hino Kahoko was. It had been the first time they had spoken to each other alone after a long period of consented silence, and Tsuchiura was unsurprised that their reason for being on speaking terms again was Kahoko. Still! Did Tsukimori not realize she might be an awkward topic right now? And what was this business of asking _him _where Kahoko was when the last information Tsuchiura had received was that _they _were together?

"I don't know," Tsuchiura muttered, deliberately unhelpful. Unfortunately, against his will, he was being sucked into the situation like a fool – that dratted girl and her reckless tendencies! "I saw her hanging around here when the party started, but I haven't seen her since… after you sang. Guess you scared her away, huh?" he teased, cocking a grin he was sure would irritate his rival.

It was a mark that the latter was too focused on finding Kahoko that he didn't bother retorting. Pensive, Tsukimori turned to the stage where he had performed just a few minutes ago, mind clouded with possibilities. Presently, it was the cast's turn to sing for the karaoke competition, and Hihara Kazuki was in possession of the microphone as Matsuda Shun and Hitsugaya Aki hovered in annoying fashion behind him, raising their arms and contorting their faces into the most troubling expressions. Tsukimori - watching them, apparently not seeing them - only vaguely heard Tsuchiura's question.

"- person you were dedicating that song to," Tsuchiura was asking, staring at his wine glass, "that was Kahoko, wasn't it?"

Eyebrow raised and eyes averted, Tsukimori started to walk away. "I don't see what that has to do with you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to-"

"Hey, Tsukimori, tell me one thing," Tsuchiura asked, bar stool swiveling, voice rising as he hovered between being sober and being intoxicated. "Do you intend to get back with Kahoko? Is that why you're looking for her, hovering around her all the time?"

A snap, and Tsukimori was facing him. "As I've said, I don't see how any of this concerns you-"

Tsuchiura shocked him by laughing, a throaty yet hollow laugh that was loud enough to garner the attention of some people standing around them. Eyes narrowing, Tsukimori gripped Tsuchiura's arm and all but hissed into the latter's ear, "Don't tell me you're already drunk this early? It's barely midnight – what's wrong with you?"

Grinning with his eyes closed, Tsuchiura exhaled and fell forward, cradling his head in one hand. Ignoring Tsukimori's warning, he muttered to himself incoherently, before clutching his glass even tighter, as though his sanity depended on it.

"You guys are driving me _insane_," Tsuchiura muttered, voice pained. "Why is it that you never tell me anything? I mean, I completely understand _you _not wanting to share anything to me, but Kahoko? I mean, I thought we were friends, and there I was, pouring my heart out, and still she refused to tell me _what really mattered_-"

"What did you say?" Tsukimori cut through Tsuchiura's drunken soliloquy, turning the other man to face him. "What do you mean she refused to tell you what really mattered?"

Tsuchiura squinted at him through half-lidded eyes, as though trying to make sure he was still there. "Well. There was this one time – in my house – when she told me she – er - _loved_ you, but then she wouldn't tell me why she _couldn't _love you, and well-"

Suddenly, he paused and stared into nothingness. Tsukimori sat close to him, all thoughts of leaving obliterated from his mind, brows furrowed as he tried to make sense of what Tsuchiura had been rambling about. Kahoko telling Tsuchiura she _loved _him_? _When had this taken place?

"I…" Tsuchiura had started talking again, snapping Tsukimori back to attention. While his voice had become lower, so that Tsukimori had to strain his ears to hear coherent words, Tsuchiura's eyes had taken on a determined expression. "I had asked her to give me a chance…"

Tsuchiura smirked, the memory vivid in his mind's eye.

XXX

Of all the places and situations capable of hosting heartrending revelations and long-postponed conversations, the two of them had to talk in _his _kitchen, during the middle of a disastrous, ill-timed lunch, the day after _she _had made a fool out of herself, ending up in his room when neither of them intended it.

Hino Kahoko looked horror-struck, the last expression Tsuchiura Ryoutaro wanted to see on her face after he had confessed to her. She had squatted down, fully defenseless, by the kitchen counter, Tsuchiura hovering an arm's throw away from her, ready to catch her crumpling figure any second. Arms crossed above her knees, she resignedly rested her forehead on the crook of her elbows. Tsuchiura - confounded, guilty, and hurt – knelt down beside her.

He had barely touched her arm when she spoke.

"Can you _actually_ believe this is happening?" she asked in a quaking voice, sounding half-amused and half-tormented. "Four years later, and it's still him. _Can you actually believe that?_"

Tsuchiura swallowed, unsure of what to say next. He had been taken aback by the honesty of her statement, the helplessness of it all, and even with the first stages of hurt and of depression bubbling greedily inside his chest, he felt the necessity to be civil, a friend, at this point in time.

A sigh, a grunt – he fell by her side and, abandoning all hesitation, threw a careless arm around her hunched figure. He felt her tense, and smirked to himself as he turned his gaze towards his spotless white wall. He would miss moments like this – her awkwardness, her embarrassment, the opportunity to tease her…

"Frankly, it's not that hard to believe."

She looked up then, and he had to hold in a laugh as he saw the expression on her face. Tears forming at the rims of her narrowed eyes, a comically petulant frown on her lips. "Are you telling me I'm transparent?"

"No, well, ah…" The hand thrown around Kahoko scratched his head sheepishly. "I'm just saying…" He exhaled deeply, eyebrows twitching. "You're a masochist, Kahoko."

Seeing the familiar blank look on her face, he felt compelled to elaborate.

"You… _enjoy the tragic_," he began, using his hands to soften the harshness of his words. "You don't care if _you _get hurt, as long as the people you care about are okay. You want to keep your friends safe, even if it means sacrificing yourself. It's something you've carried with you since high school…"

_It's why I… _

"It would make sense _then_," he continued, coughing slightly to stay rational, and keep his thoughts out of his own emotions, "that you continue loving Tsukimori even after he had moved on. It's just so…"

_You_.

She seemed to have gotten his point, as she was returning his flushed gaze with a faint smile. "You know me so well it's scary," she teased. Then, sobering up, her face regained its passivity. "You see… I believe love is a decision."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Where did that come from?"

She laughed, a genuine, tinkling laugh that affected Tsuchiura so badly he had to look away again. "See… Love takes effort. It takes mental concentration. I don't believe in love at first sight; you choose to love someone, and you choose to honor him, and it's that special attention you give him that sets him apart. You can care for lots of people – _thousands! _– and yet fall in love with _just one other_."

She paused, eyes glassy as she stared at the floor before her, hair falling to cover her face as she shifted position. "I'm in love with Len because I choose to be. I remember everything about him, every moment with him because _I want to_. The feeling… is far from an uncontrollable emotion. Love for me is a discipline, a part of me that I've cultivated for myself not because I need it, but because I want it."

"I _want _to be in love with Len," she confessed, voice strangely strong. "That's why I guess… I _really _am a masochist," she added, laughing. "I mean, how people do you know love guys they know don't even care about them?"

_I hardly think he doesn't care about you_.

"Have you ever thought," Tsuchiura interrupted his own head, "that there's a possibility the two of you could get back together?"

There it was again – that knowing smile, her expression enigmatic, as though she was keeping a secret. "It's complicated, Ryoutaro."

"_Why do you keep saying that?" _he erupted, frustrated that she was hiding things from him when he had told her _everything _there was to say. "Just what is the problem anyway? Don't you trust me enough to give me a decent explanation?"

She appeared to consider it, before she closed her eyes and shook her head as though scaring away the temptation of revealing her secrets right then and there. "Just that it's complicated." Hearing him swear under his breath, she turned to him, and with sincerity, whispered, "I'm sorry, Ryou."

Tsuchiura's heart skipped a beat. Did she have any inkling how much his chest hurt right now? Grimacing slightly, he briefly put a hand up to his heart before he closed his eyes and sighed. Picking up one hand, lifting it lazily, he tried to wave her apology aside, and, lacking the strength and resolve to do so, ended up resting his palm on the crown of her head.

Maybe, they were always meant to be like this. _Friends_.

"I had a feeling it would end like this," he grudgingly admitted, burying his fingers in her hair. "I had to try though."

Smiling, she buried her face deeper into her crossed arms, and, in a muffled voice, apologized again. "Even if I could love you, I wouldn't. I… really… just can't afford to be involved… right now…"

XXX

Tsuchiura Ryoutaro rested his head on his palm, cool from having touched the wine glass.

"I _really _don't get you two," he muttered, shaking his head despondently. "You're obviously _mad _about each other – can't you two just get married and let the rest of us _live in peace_? I don't know what happened, but you obviously value each other more than you value yourselves, so why don't you- "

He stopped talking, and opened one bleary eye. He could see Tsukimori beginning to walk away from him, absolutely unconcerned with what he had to say as a determined, rather angry mask took over his features.

"Hey, Tsukimori," Tsuchiura said aloud, to no avail; Tsukimori had gotten to his feet. "_TSUKIMORI!" _

Irritated at being yanked down, Tsukimori turned to the drunken pianist with a death glare; he could barely string two words together, overwhelmed with emotion. Tsuchiura released his companion almost instantly, taken aback by the manic look in his eyes. Even in his drunken haze, he could see the succession of emotions flitting across the other man's face: anger, disgust, resentment.

"She was never good at deciding what was best for anyone," Tsukimori suddenly said aloud. "Didn't she realize we both wanted the same thing?"

Tsuchiura's intoxicated gaze never wavered. "Why don't you force her to understand then? Maybe, just maybe, she wants you to prove that what you want is the right thing to do. Maybe," he frowned, eyebrows knotted, "you have to make her think she's worth the fight."

Tsukimori's eyes widened, startled at the statement. Months ago, in a tiny, paper-filled office room, a man who had known Kahoko very well, a man who had loved Kahoko very much, had given him the same piece of advice. _To hear the same thing… twice?_

As the two stared each other, reading each other's thoughts, Hihara Kazuki plowed on with a very off-key version of Utada Hikaru's _First Love_, Matsuda Shun and Hitsugaya Aki providing equally horrible back-up singing.

Tsukimori, imparting that night yet another surprise for a very confused Tsuchiura, grinned. "Of all the songs they could have been singing…"

XXX

Perched on a swiveling stool, an elbow propped up against the melamine counter facing the konbini's bare-all windows, an intoxicated Sawasaki Erisu hummed a jumbled tune to herself. Yunoki Azuma, completely sober, watched her warily, and with a questioning gaze looked straight into the eyes of Naoto-san, his companion's personal secretary, who watched the two of them drinking from the other side of the street. Doubtless, countless bodyguards were secretly scattered around the area, waiting for any sign that their mistress was being taken advantage of. Feeling cheated, Yunoki gripped his can of cold beer and suppressed a sigh.

He didn't think _she _would get drunk this early.

"I remember standing over there… once upon a time," she observed suddenly, words slurred, as she lifted one pale finger to point to where her secretary was standing. "I was standing there… watching Len and Kaho-san... and Tsuchiura was with me."

She frowned at the memory. What had she and Tsuchiura talked about again? It had seemed so important at that time, a matter of life and death, but she could barely recall it now…

"Did you know?" Yunoki's voice sounded oddly distant, an echo. "The saddest people are the ones who hang out in convenience stores."

She frowned at the unsolicited, rather asinine pronouncement. "What makes you say that?"

Yunoki frowned, thoughtful. "Well, people go to convenience stores to buy something they need," he began, with the air of a tolerant, doting adult humoring an errant child. "So after they've gotten what they need, isn't it natural for them to leave and go somewhere else? Why do some people stay in the shop then-?"

"Because if you're hungry, or it's… _raining_ – it would be stupid to go out-"

"Unless you've got somewhere to go," Yunoki counter-argued pleasantly. "Even if you were hungry, wouldn't you eat as quickly as possible so you can leave and join the one you want to be with? Even if it was raining, if you had somewhere to go, wouldn't you choose to get wet anyway?"

He smiled as he saw that he had her full attention.

"The sad reality is that people like us," he flicked the tip of her nose for emphasis, making her scowl, which in turn amused him, "people who hang out in convenience stores - we have nowhere else to go. There's no one waiting for us, no one who needs us, and that's why we're still here-"

She was still frowning, looking up at him with tired eyes.

"That doesn't really apply to our situation," she muttered suddenly. "You do realize you're not alone? What am I supposed to be – compacted gas molecules or something?"

He blinked, immensely surprised. Only years of constant exposure to his hawk-like grandmother had prepared him, enabled him to keep a straight face when his brain functions had fully ceased for a few seconds. Did she just say what he thought she said? Because if she did…

"Oi, Sawasaki. Don't tell me you're-?"

Her phone chose that most inopportune moment to ring and make its presence known. Involuntarily, Yunoki's shoulders fell as Erisu dazedly fumbled in her pockets for her phone; he hadn't realized he'd been so tense. How did she do this to him, overbalance him – the unflappable _Yunoki Azuma?_

Overcoming what seemed like a challenging struggle, Erisu finally flipped her phone open. Blinking at the monitor for a few moments, her expression turned dark, and the atmosphere around her changed almost perceptibly. Frowning, she put the phone to her ear, and grunted, "Yeah?"

Erisu's expression darkened further, and after a few buzzes from her phone, she replied, "No. Why?"

Her frown deepened as the person on the other line explained the reason for his late call. The buzzing over the phone seemed insistent, although Erisu didn't look as though she cared much for whatever she was hearing. Yunoki checked his watch; it was seventeen minutes past one in the morning. Who would have the gall to be calling Erisu at this hour?

"I haven't seen her since I left _Banzai_," she answered, apparently exhausted, massaging her temples. "I didn't even check to see where she was before I left-"

Sensing himself frown as well, Yunoki resisted the urge to reach over and smash the phone with his bare hands.

"Have you called Kaji Aoi?" She was becoming too involved in his affairs. _Again_. "He _should _know where she is right now…"

Suddenly, Erisu looked up and met Yunoki's eyes. Seeing him look so worried, so angry, she tried to pacify him by smiling, although it came out looking rather pained. This only incensed him further.

"Try Etou's place," she said softly, averting her eyes from the dangerously silent Yunoki. "I think I know what she's doing…"

Tsukimori seemed to be lost in thought, as the buzzing almost completely died away. Then, he spoke, and although Yunoki couldn't hear exactly what the man was saying, he perceived the intention.

Gratitude. Unabashed, unthinking gratitude. And curse her, Sawasaki Erisu. She only smiled.

The phone call ended, greeted by an awkward silence. He finished the rest of his beer while she fiddled with the decorative chain attached to her phone. Were their future conversations always going to resemble this one? Interrupted, neglected, at the first sign of Tsukimori Len?

She tried to smile again. "What were we talking about?" she asked, gently propping her cheek on the table. "Something about… convenience stores and sadness…"

_What I really want to know is how you can revert from intoxicated to sober and back again-_

"The bottom line is," he continued resignedly, "everyone else has somewhere to go. Someone to meet. Someone to… look for." He spared her a glance, and didn't know whether to be thankful or irritated that her expression didn't change at all. "Everyone except us."

Her face was still bent sideward to meet his gaze, eyes fluttering closed, eyelids too heavy to keep raised. He supposed she had fallen asleep, and watching her, so serene and unlike her normal self, he felt he wouldn't mind sitting there forever - uncomfortable swiveling stool, restless men-in-black and all. Smirking, he reached for a fresh can of beer, hell-bent on getting drunk enough to forget Tsukimori and his miserable call. Then he heard her speak.

"It's not so bad, I think," she muttered, half-awake. "It's not so bad being depressed when there's someone determined to get you through it."

He stared at her – her fanned eyelashes, her parted lips, the way she moved in time to her uneven breathing. He could hear her jagged gasps as she started to snore, and he vaguely entertained the thought of tormenting her about it someday. But for now…

He opened the can of beer, and took a messy swig, hell-bent on drinking to the last drop, hell-bent on getting drunk for a completely new, completely different reason.

Celebration… perhaps.

**A/N:**

One thing I've learned from writing (attempting) fanfiction is that you should never let your work stew unguarded and untended for too long. That way, you forget how things are supposed to work out, and you end up confusing yourself. Especially if your story has an entire band's worth of OC's, remolded original characters, and the most complicated plot-line (ish) this side of LCDdom. I swear. The next time I decide to write _something_, I will follow through _ASAP_. Sorry for the delay – and the madness! ::(

In any case, I was sidetracked watching _Bleach _and reviewing related literature. My current favorites are Moczo's _Uninvited Guests_, windlily's _Treading Icy Waters_, and Crimson Bttrfly's _Stages_. The first two are on Toushirou, the last is on Byakuya - that's humor, angst-action, and M romance (ish). If you're fans of these truly wonderful, honorable men (ish), these fics are highly recommended; please try reading them if you've got time. ::D

PS Although I'm seriously starting to doubt people still read this fic, I'm determined to wrap it up. The next upload will contain the last three chapters (chaps thirteen and fourteen, as well as the epilogue). They're gonna be uploaded that way because I don't think they can be read separately. Of course, they'll be monstrous in combined length, but I personally don't see any other way around it. ::( Sorry for the inconvenience. _[7 November 2010] _


	14. Chapter 13: Unsolicited Advice

**Bridging the Gap**

**Chapter Thirteen: Unsolicited Advice**

**A/N: **

_[7 November 2010] _Whenever I think of having to write this chapter, I imagine typing the last word of this fic, and rejoicing that finally, at long last, I'll be able to move on from drama and focus on writing horror. Yep. I can barely wait to finish this! [I might just die of self-loathing, having to write cheesy scenes like this. This is gonna suck. ::(]

An admin note: I uploaded the edited versions of Chapters 12 and 8. I don't really like changing what I've written before, but in this case, it's necessary. In the original Ch8, Erisu says that Kahoko was getting in-house lessons from a Kiriya Akihiko, who had a grandson named Kiriya Etou. I got a bit confused here; the real character is named **Etou Kiriya**, and the second to the last OC I had in mind is too young to be his grandfather. So yeah, I tweaked some previous chapters – peace! ::D

AAAAH! The last three chapters! I sat with them for almost a week, and I was planning to sit with them even longer, but ALAS. I wanted to get this story over and done with. Haha! The last three chapters! ::D [I apologize in advance. Please don't hurt me. ::(]

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own _La Corda d'Oro_; the whole concept belongs to Kure Yuki-sensei.

This fanfic is based on _Primo Passo_.

**Previously: **

**Chapter Twelve: Gossip Saves**

"_I _really_ don't get you two," he muttered, shaking his head despondently. "You're obviously _mad_ about each other – can't you two just get married and let the rest of us _live in peace_? I don't know what happened, but you obviously value each other more than you value yourselves, so why don't you- " _

_He stopped talking, and opened one bleary eye. He could see Tsukimori beginning to walk away from him, absolutely unconcerned with what he had to say as a determined, rather angry mask took over his features. _

"_Hey, Tsukimori," Tsuchiura said aloud, to no avail; Tsukimori had gotten to his feet. "_TSUKIMORI!_" _

**Chapter Thirteen: Unsolicited Advice**

_March _

_Etou Residence, Saga _

As he slipped into his dressing gown for the second time that morning, Etou Akihiko suppressed the urge to unleash his wrath on a nearby wall and potentially damage his home beyond repair. Rubbing at his tired, bloodshot eyes, he glanced at the sole clock in his bedroom: It was twenty-eight minutes past five in the morning. Cursing, raging, he opened the door with a mighty bang, emerging from his quarters with his deep red eyes flashing ferociously.

Exactly _what _on Earth was happening? Why were people turning up in front of his house, demanding to rouse him, at this ungodly hour?

The doorbell continued to ring insistently as Akihiko hurriedly opened the front door. By habit, as he stepped into the front yard, he took one swift look at the skies ahead; morning had yet to break. Grimacing at the thought of his neighbors waking up at the racket the intruder was making, he hastily raised his voice to pacify the unexpected visitor.

"Pipe down! I'm coming – _coming!_"

Resignedly pulling at the iron bars that made up his gate, Akihiko came face-to-face with a familiar-looking, blue haired man who looked to be in his early twenties, his eyes tired and obviously stressed, hands buried in the pockets of his heavy travelling cloak.

"Etou-san," the man began, taking his hands out to reveal pale, slender fingers. His voice was strangely, pleasantly calm despite his ragged appearance, as though he was measuring his tone carefully. "I'm sorry for bothering you this early in the morning. I can't begin to apologize for-"

"Cut to the chase and tell me who you are," Akihiko practically growled, one hand still on the half-opened gate, barring the stranger's view of what was inside the house. He didn't think the newcomer meant him any harm – especially since Akihiko was beginning to think he was _supposed _to know who this man was – but it never hurt to be careful.

_It never hurts to be careful. _

"Etou-san, I'm Tsukimori Len. I'm looking for a friend of mine – Hino Kahoko?" Tsukimori paused, lips parted slightly as he wondered what to say next. "I have reason to believe she's here…"

Akihiko stood rooted to the spot, mental organs temporarily ceasing major functions as he blinked up at the international concert artist – the man whose numerous albums were perched almost reverently on his living room shelf, the man who had cemented Japan's position in classical music…

The man Kahoko had warned him might be coming.

"Aah," was all Akihiko had been able to say. "Yes. Kahoko. You're looking for Kahoko. Well, I-"

He caught Tsukimori's unwavering stare, and they exchanged a few blinks.

"She's inside," Akihiko told him almost pleasantly. "She should be sleeping right now so if you don't mind waiting, I can wake her up…"

"Sorry to trouble you," Tsukimori muttered, head bowed as Akihiko stepped aside to let him in. "I don't normally… do things like this."

"Hmmm?" Akihiko mumbled distractedly as he led the way to the living room, flipping the light switches on to welcome the visitor. In the sudden glare of the overhead light, the large family area looked unnaturally bright and cheerful, a perfect contrast to the bleakness of the morning and the downcast aura emanating from the two people currently standing in the middle of it.

Akihiko frowned in disapproval. She had messed up his interior design _again_.

"There's no need to justify your actions," he said offhandedly, wondering what happened to his standard brown pillow cases. "Frankly, I don't really need to know."

Akihiko slowly whirled around to see a wide-eyed Tsukimori Len staring back at him in slight disbelief.

"Please sit," he ordered Tsukimori as graciously as he could. "I'll go tell Kahoko to come down. In the meantime, make yourself comfortable."

Without waiting for his guest to sit down or even formulate a fitting reply, Akihiko turned on his heel, and dragged his slipper-clad feet to the spare room on the second floor. It was the same room Kahoko had slept in during her stay in his house; being so comfortable with her presence, he hadn't even bothered to check up on her condition before he groggily returned to his interrupted sleep…

She had turned up on his threshold unexpectedly, only few hours ago, in that forced state of cheerfulness she lapsed into whenever there was something major on her mind. _Akihiko-san_, she had begged, _can I stay here for a while?_

He hadn't even minded not getting a decent reason for her sudden arrival. Except, he believed, somehow, that the complications tied to her return were indirectly, unintentionally, caused by the man currently sitting in his living room.

"Kaho," he called out, knocking on the door of her bedroom. "Kahoko!"

Straining his ears, he could hear only the faint rustling of leaves – none of the usual mutters Kahoko invoked when someone tried to wake her up. He knocked again, calling her name – to no avail. Forehead creasing in confusion, he placed one hand on the cold doorknob, and issued a threat.

"If you're not planning to open the door, I'll-!"

Akihiko effortlessly twisted the knob free, which surprised him; he had given Kahoko strict instructions to always check her locks before going to bed. Relatively perplexed, he unceremoniously threw the door open, barely moved by the sight of Kahoko's neat, empty bed…

Sighing, he swiftly made his way back to the living room, where Tsukimori waited with his hands pressed tightly together, head bowed. Maintaining his expression as the guest rose to acknowledge his return, Akihiko's level gaze met a pair of worried topaz eyes. "She's not in her bedroom."

"_What_?" He could see panic and a slight tinge of madness seeping into the younger man's eyes. Sadistic as it was, he took the desperation as a good sign. "You mean she left without asking permission? Do you think she knew I was coming?"

"She knew," Akihiko supplied levelly. He even managed to crack a lopsided grin as he added, "That's why she chose to wait in the back garden. I think you'll find her sitting by my brother's grave."

XXX

_Etou Kiriya – _The name on the engraved tombstone seemed to shine against the lights of Akihiko's prized rear lawn. [1] Sitting with her arms wrapped around her raised legs, Hino Kahoko rested her chin on her knees, her back to the lone tree near Kiriya's isolated grave marker.

She sat beneath the wide-canopied oak Kiriya had favored when he was still alive. It was still dawn, and dark, a fact which chilled Kahoko slightly. Although, in his lifetime, her friend hadn't seemed like angsty ghost-material, Kahoko didn't think he'd be that friendly if they met again in the afterlife either. After all, _she _was mainly the reason he had to drive such a distance in the first place, the reason he got into that accident…

"I hope you're not bearing any grudges against me," Kahoko muttered to her friend's grave, eyes targeted at the remnants of the last candle that had been lit there. "Although, personally, I would totally understand if you hated me… though I _really _wish you – uh – wouldn't – "

She sighed, and fought against the drowsiness that was traitorously washing over her. Against her will, her eyelids were beginning to droop, weary from having waited for a good two to three hours in the strangest of positions, the most unnatural locations. Perhaps Len had decided to come in the morning after all? Worse, had he decided to stop looking for her…?

_Just as I – _

"It's really strange hearing you report to the dead that way."

She jerked back to wakefulness, hearing _that _voice in the middle of this lonesome garden. Her eyes snapping open, she saw Tsukimori Len casually walking to where she sat, a tired yet smug grin on his face. Behind him, illuminated by his numerous porch lights, stood Etou Akihiko, clothed in his favorite dressing robe, discreetly pushing his glass garden doors shut.

She didn't even hear them move.

"Len," she muttered, hands falling limply at her sides. "Aaaah-"

_I've been waiting_-

"Mind if I sit down?" he asked before she could string two coherent words together. "Long ride." [2]

"Uh, sure," Kahoko managed to croak, scooting over to give the man some space. As he gracelessly plopped beside her – uncharacteristically groaning like an old man – she averted her face and recalled her battle plan.

It was problematic, his sudden personality change. She had thought of giving him a piece of her mind, but it seemed he was in the mood to take control over things for once – at the worst possible time. How had things gotten this complicated? At which point did they have to start to fix things?

_He has to know though-_

"I knew you were coming-"

"So you've been expecting me?"

They exchanged surprised looks; it was a sign of their awkward situation that they spoke at the same time. Her eyebrows instantly rose in disbelief; his lips slowly curved into a knowing smile.

"Will you let me talk first?" he requested in a chipper tone. "Thing is, on the way here, I was rehearsing what I wanted to say, and-"

She gulped, battle plan evaporating, and nodded before he felt it necessary to explain his actions further. It was the unexpected cheerfulness that unnerved her the most; he had always been gentle and awkwardly sweet – but for him to be unabashedly _happy_ like this? It chilled her mildly.

"Yeah, sure, I don't mind – go ahead-"

He smiled faintly, and she hoped he didn't notice her slightly edging away in preparation for a possible tirade.

The smile remained on his face as he contemplated the grave before them, lamplights reflected in his topaz eyes. He was still, and pale, and Kahoko thought she could see dark circles under his eyes, making him look older and so much wearier. When he sighed, and tore his gaze away, Kahoko took a sharp intake of breath, shoulders tensing. He was ready.

"Did the accident hurt?"

She turned to him, mild shock splashed on her features. It wasn't the first time they acknowledged the incident, but Tsukimori had never spoken about it outright – not like this. "Well," she began, looking away, hoping the tremor in her voice was a figment of her imagination. "I didn't really feel anything-"

"Don't be stupid," he interrupted, disgust lacing his words. "Of course it hurt."

Even with her eyes diverted, she could feel him shift his gaze on her, watching her.

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I got hurt, too?"

Tsukimori was looking at the ground, ignoring her pained gaze as she reflexively reacted to his words. He sighed, and in a deliberately slow motion, lazily met her eyes with his own.

The slow movements, the mechanical motions, were a front. His stare was burning her…

"I may…" He paused, composing himself with a deep breath. "I may not have been there with you when it happened. I don't know what it feels to live through a car crash. I don't know how it feels not to be able to play music. But I…" His eyes darkened, deadened. "It hurts to see you like this."

Exhaling raggedly, he leaned against the tree behind them, and closed his eyes. Gaze on him, Kahoko could see stress taking its toll on the man. He was exhausted, and worse, trapped in a paralyzing pain that went beyond the physical-

"I can't remember what's supposed to go next," he admitted abruptly, chuckling slightly at himself. "Huh. And to think I've been rehearsing all this time-"

She was not amused.

"Len, maybe you should rest-"

He silenced her with a hand, eyes opening. Seeing her looking back at him timidly, questions in her eyes, Tsukimori reassured her with a smile. He sat closer to her, clasping his hands around his knees, staring unseeing at the ground directly in front of him.

She had remained quiet.

"I can't promise you anything," he said softly, weighing each word carefully. "I can't promise you healing, or understanding. The fact is… you may very well be able to live on without me. But… If I may be so bold as to say what I really feel-"

"I need you. I want to be by your side." His words, guileless and true, were spoken with a muted passion that brought his voice down to a whisper. "Even if I may not be able to help you with anything, I-"

He stopped, shocked, as a warm, welcome weight fell on his right. Wordlessly, he shifted, and saw the top of Kahoko's head resting on his raised arm. "Kahoko?"

She laughed at herself, a soft, tinkling chuckle of amusement.

"I'm an idiot, aren't I?" she whispered "Here I am, pushing away the one person who cares for me the most. I've been so… stupid."

Tsukimori couldn't help himself. It was all so ironic – the endless months of torturous separation, the cycle of confusion and pain, the numerous hearts that were wounded… Everything boiled down to this one moment, to her realizing what he believed all along.

It was folly, really – trying to keep away from each other.

Gaze falling, he smirked. "Yeah, you have."

He could almost hear her smile.

"I don't know what I've been thinking," she added vehemently, lost in her own thoughts. "I don't know why I kept running away, why I kept running around. I was so… _scared_."

Holding his breath, he rested his cheek on the crown of her head. She didn't flinch, or turn away, merely sitting still. Gratefully, he closed his eyes. "I know. I was angry, too."

There was a pause – early-morning silence reigned as the rhythm of their breathing naturally synched.

"You know what everyone keeps telling me?" Tsukimori remembered unexpectedly, their words hitting him as he looked back on everything they had gone through. "Tsuchiura and Kaji-sensei-?"

"You spoke with them?"

He ignored her, calling forth from his mind the right memories. "They told me to tell you that you're worth the fight."

She stiffened, and even in his exhausted, pseudo-delirious state, he knew he had hit the jackpot. So it had been that, after all…

"_Baka_," he chided her gently. "How could you even think that?"

Kahoko laughed. She was tired, too, and confused, but somehow, she felt a heavy weight unburdening from within her, a fresh lightness inside her chest.

"Someday," she told him earnestly. "One day, we're gonna look back on this and laugh."

She turned, so that her eyes now faced his arm – he could feel her deep breathing tickling the surface of his coat. "Missing each other all this time… was pretty dumb of us, huh?"

A sudden feeling of elation, one arm protectively thrown around a pair of slumped shoulders. Stress, relief, and sheer happiness. He grinned; she refused to move.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, still unwilling to forgive herself. "_I'm so sorry_. It's all my fault-"

He mumbled incoherently, and, with his eyes still closed in a mixture of gratitude and exhaustion, lightly pressed his lips to the top of her head. "Let's leave this discussion for another time," he requested. "There are too many things to talk about, too many things to consider…"

She tensed, the first tears falling from her eyes as she moved closer to him… as he pulled her closer.

Murmuring into her hair, he said, "All that matters is that we've finally arrived at this point. Together."

In response, she merely muttered nonsensically, in phrases slurred by the advance of sleep. They stayed wrapped in their awkward embrace, eyes shut, relishing the warmth of their distance bridged, their bodies close…

When Tsukimori opened his eyes again, the garden lamps had gone out, and the faint glow of the Monday sun was peeking out of the pink-and-pale blue-tinged morning sky. The sight – glorious though he would have found it under more normal circumstances – made his eyes water.

"Morning," he croaked in a hoarse voice.

"Good morning to you, too," Kahoko muttered silkily, raising her head to smile up at him.

As they exchanged stares, scanning each other's eyes for any hints on what the other was thinking of at that moment, Tsukimori smugly raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't telling you 'good morning'," he supplied, reverting to his favorite monotone.

"Huh?" was all Kahoko could come up with, confusion impairing her ability to think. A glance at the heavens, and back to his eyes – she looked up again and frowned. And then the impact-

"_Tsukimori Len_!"

Irritated, she mock-punched Tsukimori in the face, and he rolled to the left, clutching his cheek. _Is she serious? _He groaned as he tried to sit up. _That punch _actually_ stings-! _

"Ow," he muttered, nursing his injured cheek, falling back to his initial position. "That hurt-!"

"You jerk! You _completely _ruined the moment!"

"Hey- You ruined the moment _first_-!"

But she was already on her feet, kicking him mercilessly, hair in disarray.

"Ow, Kahoko, you hit my thigh! Is this what I get after chasing you all across Japan?"

"How'd you get here anyway? The trains are all down-"

"I could ask you the same question-"

"Gods, Tsukimori, stop being so irritatingly evasive!"

"What's this with the Tsukimori? I thought we'd called it quits-?"

"I'll call you whatever I like! Didn't you just pledge to be my slave-?"

"_What-?" _

From a distance, the sound of a door banging open reverberated like gunfire in the otherwise 'silent' garden. Akihiko, eyes flashing, stood on his glass doorway, hands on the jamb as though preventing himself from running outside and strangling to death the invaders of his home and solitude.

"_Will you two _shut up _already!" _he practically shouted, voice louder than either Kahoko's or Tsukimori's. "You'll wake the neighbors if you go on with your childish bickering!"

Kahoko paused, one foot on a disheveled Tsukimori, who had one hand on her coat and another on the ground to keep himself steady against the force of her kick. A second flitted by as the three regarded each other.

Sighing, realizing how improper the two of them must look to the owner of the house, Tsukimori tried to stand up, but exhaustion multiplied the effect of gravity and sent him crashing back down. Concerned, Kahoko offered him a hand, which he merely stared at for a few moments.

Still looking at the proffered assistance, Tsukimori asked in a low voice, "He gave you a crash course on the violin, right?"

"Hmm," Kahoko merely said. "I see you've done your research well."

A frown and a flash of some dark, deep emotion flitted across Tsukimori's face. "You guys are on awfully informal terms-"

She sighed, impatient. "What do you expect? I lived in the guy's house for months-"

Without warning, he grabbed her hand, and pinned her down in an armlock. Squirming, she tried to protest, but he would have none of it, speaking close to her ear so she would hear him clearly.

"This is where you went after graduation?" There was an odd, closed look on his face. "I should have trusted my instinct. I never should have left you."

Her eyes softened as she considered his guilty expression. She didn't want him regretting his decisions, not when they had helped him so much.

She went for the diversion. "Jealous?"

Flushing, he quickly averted his gaze, his grip on Kahoko loosening. Seizing the opportunity, she tipped him away from her – catching him by surprise – and pounced-

Akihiko sighed as Len rolled defenselessly on the grass beside Kiriya's grave, crying out in surprise. He would deal with the Tanakas later; in any case, pacifying the octogenarian couple would be easier than separating the two toddlers presently frolicking in his backyard.

Massaging his throbbing temples, Akihiko returned to the kitchen, where a mug of coffee waited beside today's lesson plan. Perching on his favorite, cushy stool, and ignoring the strangled noises echoing all over the house, he had already pressed his lips against warm porcelain to take his first sip of the day when the phone rang.

The kitchen extension, hanging from the countertop post to his immediately left, rang noisily, shocking Akihiko and causing him to spill his coffee on his favorite dressing robe and his hand. Cursing, raging, he put the mug down, waving his free hand to ease the stinging on his fingers. Glaring at the bright, red pulsing dot on his wall phone, he picked up the receiver with an almost feral snarl.

"Hello?" said the caller in an agitated tone, not even bothering to let Akihiko speak first. "Etou-sensei? This is Kaji from Mizuide General – I'm sure you remember me. I was wondering if Kahoko was at your place? Thing is, she's apparently been missing since last night – her friends have been ringing my house non-stop for a while now – so I was wondering if you knew anything-"

Akihiko calmly put the phone back on its cord.

Unremorseful, he stared past his steaming coffee cup for a second – hand still throbbing – to note that the edges of his notes were smudged with brown flecks. Blinking, he gingerly lifted the mug, and slowly drank his coffee in peace.

It didn't matter who else was looking for her really, Akihiko mused. _It didn't matter._ She had turned up on her own, before the only one who counted.

**A/N: **

_Right._ I took the coward's way out and avoided 'the conversation' that had been stalling progress on this thing for weeks. I'M SO SORRY; I just couldn't take it anymore – all those _extra _cheesy lines! So yeah, I made up the excuse – which, I hope, is valid enough – that they were both too tired of _everything _to talk properly. Soooo sorry. ;;X Waaah. I know it's not a catharsis for a reader _at all_, but the thing is, _it is one_ for me. ;;(

I really like this Akihiko though. I wonder if he's anything like canon-Akihiko. I don't really read the manga, and I barely remember _Second Passo_, so I wouldn't know the difference, haha. ::D

For **moonlight** and **pichieriuzen –** for the advice and the encouragement. You keep me going, sniff.

_[26 November 2010] _

**Revenge of the Footnotes:**

[1] _Tombstone_. I have no idea which factions of the Japanese population opt for cremation – Buddhists, I think, but I don't know about the others. Sorry if this inexcusable lack of research bothers culture buffs, but, anyway, I think it would have been stranger to describe Kahoko as _talking to an urn_. AND! Let's not even start discussing Akihiko's reasons for tending a tomb in his backyard; it's just the way he rolls.

[2] _Travel time_. In _Nodame Cantabile_, it took Chiaki Shinichi an entire day to get from Tokyo to Kyushu; I assume that's really how long crossing the distance is supposed to take. However! Let's assume both Kahoko and Tsukimori have high-tech, time-bending powers that enabled them to shorten the travel time. Grrr. I hate having to create miracles like this.


	15. Chapter 14: Better Late than HalfAssed

**Bridging the Gap**

**Chapter Fourteen: Better Late Than Half-Assed**

**A/N:**

_[26 November 2010] _The last chapter, voila! Given it's my first last chapter, I gave it a title from my personal academic motto re: deadlines. Even if Fate has been unkind in granting me the proper plot bunnies to wrap this fic up, It's been generous enough to make the last chapter apt for one of my fave statements ever. ::)

On a stranger note, our beloved Sawasaki Erisu has been selected by .com as the OC of the Month (for November 2010, I think). She's still in a sour mood – given everything that's been going on – so on behalf of the Ojousama, I thank all the readers of this fic, most especially the kind, anonymous reader who took the time to nominate Eri-chan for a title she no doubt feels she deserves. If you've time, please visit the group at .com. We're listed at the bottom of the right-hand bar; kindly look for "Erika". Thanks!

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own _La Corda d'Oro_; the whole concept belongs to Kure Yuki-sensei.

This fanfic is based on _Primo Passo_.

**Previously: **

**Chapter Thirteen: Unsolicited Advice**

_He mumbled incoherently, and, with his eyes still closed in a mixture of gratitude and exhaustion, lightly pressed his lips to the top of her head. "Let's leave this discussion for another time," he requested. "There are too many things to talk about, too many things to consider…" _

_She tensed, the first tears falling from her eyes as she moved closer to him… as he pulled her closer. _

_Murmuring into her hair, he said, "All that matters is that we've finally arrived at this point. Together." _

**Chapter Fourteen: Better Late Than Half-Assed**

_April_

In a blur of dust, the taxi skidded in front of an elegant, wrought-iron gate swamped with confetti, giving off the appearance of having been chased by a pack of drooling Rottweilers. A woman in a beautiful but wrinkled midnight blue dress, and haphazardly brushed, long red hair emerged from it, looking up at the majestic entrance decorated with roses of every possible color.

Hino Kahoko cringed as she flattened the folds on her dress, her taxi pulling away at a more leisurely speed. Though she had been to this place once before – and for God's sake, she actually _knew _the couple that was celebrating this day – she felt severely out-of-place and underdressed.

She blamed it on her body clock that woke her two hours late.

Walking past the entrance, Kahoko smiled at the decorations that had transformed the landscape into something beyond wonderful – almost ethereal. To take advantage of the glorious summer weather, tables laden with fruit and cake and all other kinds of dishes were strategically placed around a grassy lawn bordered with flowers, large, lace umbrellas positioned everywhere. To one side there was a makeshift stage, in front of which couples were swaying serenely – leaves dancing against a soft wind.

Limited by the ancient, Western – style house looming in the background, the area was rather cramped and packed, and Kahoko vaguely imagined what the scene would have looked like had they chosen to celebrate in Aozu. [1] Nevertheless, she approved of the old couple's choice – upon realizing they were to have a grand celebration_, _they changed _everything_ from the music to the guests to the location – for Aozu had always been rather alien to her.

Unlike this place. His favorite place.

Kahoko blinked as she remembered she had to find him first. As her her head whipped in all directions, taking in all sensations, she sought to find that shiny blue head, those icy topaz eyes…

By this time, she was relatively accustomed to seeing celebrities in her midst. It was disturbing – Kahoko was beginning to get used to Chiaki Shinichi's presence, and she didn't even feel anything when she saw his wife standing beside him, clutching at his arm with an ear-to-ear grin. [2] Also standing nearby were Eiji-sama, whose assistant Hakuba Kenjirou gave Kahoko a small wave as she passed by, and Ishida Moe, the most gossip-hungry woman in all of Japan – Kahoko shivered when she remember that said woman and her boyfriend's mother were _friends_…

And then there were the more familiar faces. Amou Nami, dressed to the nines, was straightening a little boy's tie as Takishima Makoto looked on with a smile; the boy was clutching at his collar, trying to loosen his buttons, but Nami was pinning him down… On either side of Takishima were Oribe Heiji and Kobayashi Nao, surreptitiously glancing at each other once every few seconds – Kahoko hoped they would just get over themselves and get back together-

She was pleasantly surprised to see Kaji Aoi unobtrusively standing under a tree with Hinata, one of the nurses who had helped Kahoko in Mizuide. Although they had never seemed to be particularly informal before, Kahoko noted with satisfaction that they seemed awfully close now, as Kaji casually brushed a leaf off Hinata's head, and she smiled at him in gratitude, cheeks flushed…

Sitting around a table shaded by a particularly distracting pink umbrella were Fujioka Rumi, Sato Satoshi and Takato Mio, who were engaged in animated conversation. Rumi was daintily holding aloft a cup, gesturing toward Sato and Mio with a look of disbelief on her face. The two exchanged a swift glance, erupting into giggles and, in his case, an apologetic smile, as both nodded, and Rumi's eyes went as wide as propriety would allow her…

On the dance floor, Len's father and grandmother were dancing happily, dazedly, as Hamai Misa and her father-in-law looked on from the sidelines, grinning and, apparently, catcalling. Hihara Kazuki was playing a lively, spunky tune on a saxophone, and Kahoko blinked – she didn't know her sempai could play that instrument…?

And on her near right, standing by one of the banquet tables was Tsuchiura Ryoutaro, surrounded by other distinguished musicians who were engaged in serious conversation. Kahoko flushed, embarrassed to see him observing her silently, a glass of orange juice in one hand.

Had he been staring at her since she walked in?

Catching her gaze, Tsuchiura gave her a faint smile, lifting his finger to point toward the clump of sakura trees on the side of the old house. She considered the woods, knowing what lay beyond. As she looked back at Tsuchiura, she saw that he had been pulled back into the conversation, his colleagues listening attentively to whatever he was saying. Smiling slightly, she slowly turned on her heel and began to walk away. Perhaps they would talk some other time…

The walk to the woods was short but nostalgic. Watching the light filtering through the thick canopy of trees, Kahoko remembered the last time she had been here, years and years ago. She had been taking pictures of everything then – the flowers, the rocks, the ground – that she completely neglected really _looking _at anything.

Kahoko sighed, quickening her pace. It was worthless to regret now, not when she had been given an opportunity to visit this place again…

As she came to a clearing, she found who she was looking for. Tsukimori Len was bending over a familiar low wooden bridge, which looked freshly painted, its rails shining in the sun. As he sensed her impending arrival, he straightened up and gave her a faint smile; Kahoko walked up to him, greeting him with a light kiss. Slowly reaching for her hand, his smile deepened as he softly placed his other arm around her, steadying her as she leaned her against his shoulder…

They said nothing, preferring to watch the sakura trees in silence. She noted that the pond had gotten wider and wilder, and the koi had multiplied to maximum capacity. Yet other than that, the ripples on the water, the muted sunlight, the sakura petals dancing… They all seemed unchanged.

She broke their silence first.

"We're five years too late."

"Hmmm…" He considered her words. "Better late than never."

Abruptly, she extricated herself from his embrace, and leaned against the bridge instead, challenging him, expression serious. "You're sure about this then?" she confirmed, wrapping her arms around the wood. "It's not too late to change your mind-"

"You're coming with me to Vienna – that's final," he told her, adamant, fervor building in his eyes. It was an expression she was growing accustomed to, with it coming up every time she verbalize her doubts about their relationship. "I'm not leaving you behind, not again."

Sighing, still unsure, Kahoko turned around, letting her gaze wander over the expanse forest. They both seemed surreal – this discussion, this place. Had she made… the right decision?

"It's strange," she whispered, just as an unexpected breeze flowed through the trees, tickling her cheek with errant strands. "I can't see the future – it's so _weird_. I've always been able to see what lies ahead. Graduate, get job, work. But now… I don't know what's supposed to come next."

"Get married, make music," Tsukimori added lightly, playfully tucking her messy hair behind an ear. "See the world, meet people, have kids…"

She shook her hair free, turning to stare at him with odd eyes. "But we-"

Pensive, he looked away, slipping his pale hands into deep pockets. "What does it matter?" he asked her softly. "Frankly, I'm contented with the way things are now."

He sighed, and briefly closed his eyes.

"For the first time in my life," he admitted, voice rising slightly in a suppressed burst of passion, "I also can't see what happens next. But for the first time – _ever_ – I'm actually looking forward to experiencing the unknown. I'm actually excited to see what's about to happen. Because it feels right. It feels like _this_ is what we should be doing." He turned a thoughtful face to Kahoko. "Isn't that enough?"

In reply, Kahoko merely smiled, gaze low, as she turned away. With the way she was now, perhaps she would always have to hear that…

But he would never tire of reminding her.

Smiling softly as well, Tsukimori shifted his gaze forward, eyes on the trees. Although anything but religious, for the first time, he found himself praying to the high heaven - to Whoever was out there, watching, listening – that the future would hold something _happy _for both of them…

Silence. The woods were still. Only the faint sound of birds chirping in the distance, the wind singing, could be heard. Yet another breeze flowed by, colder than the first, making the cherry blossoms danced as they used to five years ago…

Kahoko smiled at the memory. _We will always be like this_-

"Have I ever told you," she began, interrupting her own thoughts in a sudden wave of inspiration, "how much you mean to me?"

She flushed, and realized how awkward the words sounded. Would he think she had rehearsed them, that they were insincere? "I mean, you know, just in case I've never told you before – which I don't think I ever have-"

But Tsukimori was grinning; there was genuine mirth dancing in his eyes. Kahoko flushed deeper as she saw a change in his expression, a relaxed falling of his shoulders, telltale signs of an impending barb. Perhaps it was wrong to inflate his ego even more…

Surprisingly, he merely looked away, trying to suppress his manic grin with a sharp breath. He seemed severely amused about something – Kahoko had a good idea what. Eyes glowing, looking in all directions, a faint tinge creeping up his pale face, Tsukimori's expression softened.

"You don't have to," he told her in a voice that matched his eyes in sincerity. "I don't need to hear any of that. All I ask… is that you let me prove to you that I feel the same way."

It seemed to Kahoko that a time bomb had exploded in her chest. She had told herself time and again that words were nothing, words were empty promises. But _Tsukimori Len_. Making a comeback in a self-styled pseudo-pick-up line!

She averted her face, fearing the overwhelming emotion would show. But of course, he had already noticed.

"Hey." Tsukimori sounded annoyed; she could tell by his voice, not even bothering to confirm it in his expression. She determinedly ignored the light poking at her side. "Get over it. I was only trying to save you from embarrassment. Cheese begets cheese. _Hey_. Kahoko-"

He froze with his lips parted, shocked to have her suddenly fling her arms around him, burying her face in his jacket. The words died in his throat as his arms lay floating in mid-air.

She had taken him by surprise again.

Grinning at himself, Tsukimori let his hands fall, let them move involuntarily to hold the woman before him, the woman whose own arms were wrapped tightly around his waist as though unwilling to let go. He strongly suspected she had burst into tears – judging by her intermittent sniffling – for whatever fresh reason he didn't bother to think about.

And he smiled, not at all bothered by the thought that she was astoundingly incomprehensible to him. Kahoko would always be weird; whatever else would change, there was just no changing _that_…

There was absolutely no changing that he loved her for that.

**A/N: **

OH MY GOD. I feel the sudden urge to puke at my own imagination. But anyway.

In case it's confusing – the scene having been uploaded months ago – the party venue is Tsukimori's grandparents' first house, where he and Kahoko spent their last day together before he went to Vienna. The bridge is where the two talked about their future as a couple. It's featured in the third flashback in _Chapter 3: Konbini Confessions_. ::D

This chapter is dedicated to all the reviewers of this fic. Thank you so much – you make me so happy! ;;( Thank you for reading _BTG! _::D _[28 November 2010] _

**Revenge of the Footnotes: **

[1] _Aozu Villa_. The Tsukimoris' villa-for-rent where some scenes of _Shattered Symphony _were taken. Featured in Chapters 5, 6 and 8 of this fanfic.

[2] _Chiaki Shinichi and his wife_. Chiaki Shinichi and Noda Megumi are characters from _Nodame Cantabile_ by Ninomiya Tomoko, a comedic genius.


	16. Epilogue: The Other Side of the Bridge

**Bridging the Gap**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Epilogue: The Other Side of the Bridge**

**Penultimate A/N: **

_[28 November 2010] _For the support, the insight, and the unconventional friendship, I would like to thank everyone whose reviews have contributed to the completion of this fic:

_**aika **_~ thank you for the praise; i hope you're still out there, reading this

_**animearchitect **_~ i doubt this clears up things, but I hope it suffices ::)

_**ariadne-chan **_~ i love you! haha! your writing, i mean ::D

_**ariesgerl **_~ i'm so sorry! i still don't know what (Y)! means!

_**catstop **_~ i can't believe i'm actually proud that this story's done ;;X

_**chamae **_~ in the end, i went for ryou playing second fiddle; hihara's too cute for the plot

_**chibi **_~ thanks so much for liking this; it must be difficult without an account? __

_**ct **_~ to be honest, my grammar proficiency seems my only advantage ;;D

_**daintyran **_~ i'm glad you like the twists! although personally, i think i went overboard ;;D

_**edogawa ai-chan **_~ yes, i'm coxai; though i'm seriously beginning to sway in favor of ran…

_**fanfatic08 **_~ waaah, thanks so much for still reading this! ahlabshu!

_**fiasco-freak **_~ thanks! glad you like it!

_**francine-anne **_~ it's done! yeay! thank you for liking my writing!

_**frozenroselady **_~ can you believe erisu actually got recognized for being twisted?

_**fspsarcastic **_~ i think this got too confusing after a while; still, thanks for appreciating it!

_**girl wonder 2005 **_~ i hope i've advanced somehow, haha; thanks for the comments!

_**gizelle-chan **_~ thanks for being such an astute reader; you've saved me loads of times!

_**hihara abby-chan **_~ thanks for the tireless support; go go go, PILIPINAS!

_**ichigo kyara **_~ thanks for the suggestions! i used one!

_**jasmyr **_~ thanks again about the Sawajiri Erika thing! ::D

_**jiyu22 **_~ about the happy ending of this story… hmmmm, i wonder

_**kayrabelle **_~ i hope all your questions were answered, hehe ::D

_**kriz-chan **_~ doesn't erisu JUST drive everyone NUTS? i really like her though!

_**kurankira **_~ thank you for reading this despite the monstrous length! POWER HUG!

_**lemon-limen **_~ thanks so much for reading! HUG!

_**pathetic painbow **_~ the OCs say hello; they love you, too! [_BTG _is ultimate drama overload.]

_**phanphymanaphy **_~ _BTG_'s neatness: result of hour or two of writing + a week of editing, haha ::D

_**popular wannabe **_~ thank you for liking the descriptions; i tend to agonize over them ;;X

_**prayersenshi **_~ your comments keep me happy! you're so cute!

_**puresepe **_~ even if you say _BTG_'s not cheesy… i still think it's on total cheese overload…

_**purpleskye **_~ i appreciate the long review! thank you!

_**rin_4869 **_~ i'm sorry for not replying to your comment ::( thanks for caring about my friend!

_**season's call **_~ i'm glad you like the OCs! they're my fave part of this fic, too!

_**serendipityxoxo **_~ thanks for liking the story and my writing ::D

_**shiro **_~ you have the same name as sato and oribe's band!

_**silentglimmer **_~ WAHAHAHA! you all hate erisu! ::D

_**skepsis66 **_~ yes, there are tons of complications ::D i can't seem to keep myself grounded ::(

_**stellar24 **_~ thanks for finding the story interesting ::D

_**tatam **_~ the fic's done! yehey! ::D

_**veronique ruthven **_~ nice vampire name ::) since you're erisuxyunoki, please enjoy the epilogue

_**who are we? **_~ seriously, your name scares me 0.0

_**updateamigo **_~ ahahaha! I like your pseudonym!

_**XD **_~ i'm not really sure if erisu's hidden side is dark or light, hehe

Many thanks to _**anime architect, chibi, fanfatic08, gizelle-chan, hihara abby-chan**_,_** jasmyr, jiyu22, kurankira, lemon-limen, pathetic rainbow, prayersenshi,**_; **pichieriuzen**, who served as my chief soundboard for the writing of this fic; **moonlight**,forbearing with my intermittent urges to talk about my 'writing',and **ravensnicketty**, who was one of the first to read this story, and probably the first who heard of it.

And you, dear reader, even if you haven't reviewed, I value your having read _Bridging the Gap_. That you could spend a portion of your time checking out the manic ideas my imagination managed to burp out means a lot to me. Thank you for making it this far into the story. ::D

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own _La Corda d'Oro_; the whole concept belongs to Kure Yuki-sensei.

This fanfic is based on _Primo Passo_.

**Epilogue: The Other Side of the Bridge**

_April_

From behind the thick trunk of an aged _sakura _tree, Sawasaki Erisu impassively surveyed the scene before her, green eyes blank and almost unmoving. Tsukimori Len and Hino Kahoko were wrapped in a tight embrace on top of an idyllic wooden bridge, forever etched in her memory as the epitome of sugarcoated romance, the pink petals flying everywhere doing nothing to improve Erisu's impression of the sight.

Sure, she had come to accept _them _as a given, but to see them like this was… eye roll-worthy.

Smirking at herself, shaking her head like the proverbial wise geezer who had seen too much, Erisu silently thanked the gods for not putting her in Kahoko's position. To be caught in a moment as cheesy as _that_-

"Going undercover, I see."

She jumped slightly upon hearing the deep, unexpected, and painfully familiar drawl. On the other side of the trunk, pale and slender hands placed firmly on the tree to steady himself, stood Yunoki Azuma, dressed to take over the world in an immaculate black suit, a hint of blue fabric peeking from beneath his jacket. Grinning at her smugly, the action almost lazy, Yunoki said, "It's funny to see you trying to be so unobtrusive, when usually you do your best to stand out."

Mood completely ruined, Erisu straightened up, brushing petals off herself.

"It's a natural gift," she told him with a frown, glaring from beneath thick lashes. "Not one I have to work on."

Watching him smirk, her irritation rising, she hastily added, "What are you doing here, anyway? Shouldn't you be grounded for disobeying your grandmother?"

"My family took it well, actually," he replied nonchalantly, not falling for her ruse. "Obaasama didn't even seem as angry as she was exasperated, and my parents know me too well to be surprised." He sighed, lost in thought. "It's Rumi's family that's not dealing with it very well. They've actually banned me from entering FBC – although mercifully, they're still open to dealing with my family… as long as I'm not involved."

When she failed to comment he looked back at her, the reflex of worry familiar to him by now. There was an odd expression on her face, and she was too preoccupied with something that she failed to keep herself in check. The sight made him grin.

"You're alone, too," he stated, underlining the obvious. "Why don't we date?"

Erisu jerked awake, blinking rapidly for a few moments. Recovering from being disoriented, she snorted, her usual sour expression returning. "I'd rather eat pins than date a fanboy like you."

"Fanboy?" Yunoki's grin faltered slightly. "What on Earth is that supposed to be?"

She merely huffed in reply as she grudgingly swiped pink petals off her shoulders. Watching her pensively, unsure of broaching the topic but finding it impossible not to, Yunoki sighed.

"It's still him, huh?"

Freezing, Erisu opened her mouth to retort, but upon being unable to come up with the appropriate words, she clammed up again. She looked away, back to the low wooden bridge, and as he watched her, Yunoki could practically see the questions swimming in her emerald eyes…

Amused, he opted to change the topic. Again.

"That was impressive," he said in his version of a compliment, "how you gave up on him halfway through and played matchmaker-"

"I didn't play matchmaker," she replied almost lazily. "I didn't even do anything."

"But you chose not to complicate things further," Yunoki pointed out. "You chose not to fight a futile battle."

She shrugged, and he sighed, raising his head toward the pink canopy of trees, burying his hands in his back pockets, contemplating the events of recent months.

"I wonder…" he began, speaking to the wind, hoping it would bring the message, his intention, to her. "Were you trying to salvage what was left of your heart, or deep down… did you wish they would get together, even from the very beginning-?"

"You know, you presume to know me," Erisu countered, visibly irritated. Her brows were set in a firm line – a sure sign that she was beyond sheer annoyance. "You don't know anything about me at all-"

"Of course I don't," Yunoki admitted calmly, expression neutral, pose unaffected. "I don't know anything about you because you won't give me a chance." He looked away as he saw her stiffen; even he disliked having to resort to petty arguments. "And even if you did… I don't think it's possible for anyone to know another person fully. We can only grasp at whatever people choose to show to us…"

"Gee, thanks for the Hallmark quote-"

But his words seemed to affect her, forcing her into contemplation. Eyes thoughtful, a soft sigh escaping from her lips, she slowly turned to walk away instead, without saying anything to explain her departure.

Yunoki felt it would be unwise to make her stop. But-

"If you knew you didn't have a chance with him," he asked anyway, "why did you do it? Why force your presence upon him even when you knew things were going to end up like this anyway?"

The sound of light footsteps ceased. Turning around slowly, she met his gaze head-on, and thought about the question. She felt he didn't need to know why, yet she also felt he had the right to know…

That he had to know…

She frowned.

"Because everyone deserves a shot at happiness," she told him.

Momentarily, mildly surprised – his jaw slackening slightly – Yunoki immediately regained his composure. To Erisu's amazement, a few moments of silence paused, and he laughed.

"My point, exactly," he said, grinning at her with genuine happiness, eyes dancing.

Choking on her words, Erisu couldn't believe she was being contaminated by his mirth as well. Shaking her head in disbelief, she let out a repressed half-chuckle, causing Yunoki to grin wider. This impossible man… he would be the death of her…

Still overwhelmed, she met his topaz gaze. There was something odd in his expression, something different.

He had never looked at her that way before.

Feeling something warm creeping up her neck, she decided to save herself. Smiling freely this time, Erisu raised a hand to salute the man who had saved her, despite her ingratitude and all. Seeing this, Yunoki merely dipped his head in acknowledgement, ever elegant, ever patient.

_Ever patient… _

Her hand falling, Erisu sighed, and wondered if she would ever recover. Turning around, she felt her mind wander back to Yunoki… Would he always be like this? Would he always be waiting for her…?

Shaking her head one last time, chasing away befuddling thoughts, Erisu walked on.

**Final A/N: **

Initially, this project was given the title _Bridging the Gap _because I was hoping Erisu would the main reason Tsukimori and Kahoko got back together - she was intended to serve as _the bridge_. During the writing process though, the plot changed, and it became irrational for Erisu's character to serve the purpose she was originally created for. I couldn't stand focusing the story entirely on TsukiHino though, not when it was supposed to revolve around Erisu. Whether it was a good decision to keep her as one of the focal points of the story is up to you, dear reader; for my sanity, however, it was necessary.

If I placed too much emphasis on the romance of the lead characters, I apologize. Although _Bridging the Gap _is essentially about TsukiHino, it is also meant to be a not-so-angsty peek into the life of _the other woman_; for some reason, most people seem to think the sentiments of characters like Erisu can be disregarded, when in fact they have the same capacity to feel as others do. I personally think I botched up this whole fic, but generally, I just feel very blessed to be able to share this to people other than my inner child.

Thanks so much for reading _BTG! _::D [The ending sucks, I know. I hope 'I'm-writing-my-undergrad-thesis' is a good enough excuse for it. ::X]


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